Side Effects
by Ikedawg43
Summary: Raven finds a way to harness Trigon's power while maintaining full control over everything. However, the JL doesn't see things the same way and hunt after a fugitive Raven in the name of "preventative measures." The Titans soon become collateral damage, and Raven finds herself making choices she never imagined, such as employing Slade or admitting her feelings for...BB, duh
1. A Powerful Fugitive

Side Effects

Author's Note: This story will predominately be told from Raven's point of view. At least, that is my plan. If I find that I like it better a different way, I'll go with that. No matter what, thought, is this story will be centered on Raven. I'm not completely up to date with the fine details of the Teen Titans canon, so if I leave a minute detail out then forgive me (sarcasm). I am a BBRae fan, to the point where TTG was worth it only for the "Rocks and Water" episode, although I like the whole show anyways. This opening chapter will be largely other points of view, but that's to establish the narrative. Updates to this story will be sparse until the summer, when I will have nothing else to do.

Chapter 1

Coincidences. I'm not a big fan of them; no detectives are, really. The word literally means that we shouldn't be fool. "Coincide" is pronounced differently that "COINCIDEnce" and there is a difference between them. To make something "coincide" means you force them to happen together; in essence, that means chance had nothing to do with it. "COINCIDEnce" is pronounce differently and it means a chance meeting, but it shouldn't. I've always preached that we should pronounce it just like we are adding "nce" to the end of "coincide," but that's just something I got from batman. And the rest of the Titans are sick of hearing it.

That being said, the day started the normal way: with nothing normal happening. That's just life with the Titans. Today, the difference was that it was more peaceful and quiet. At breakfast everything started like it usually did. None of the louder Titans were awake enough to cause commotion, and the only person awake and alert was (per usual) Raven. Even she seemed more tired or weighed down than usual, and I took a small mental note of that. Hey, can't hurt to keep a watchful eye over your half-demon friends.

After breakfast, when things usually became loud or interesting, today things seemed relaxed. No loud shenanigans, and I went to work on paperwork. Cyborg went to do something in the garage, and the others just dispersed. Ever since we defeated the Brain's masterplan, we haven't had much to do. A majority of the criminals we deal with were cryogenically preserved after that final battle, leaving us with little to do over the last two months. I've bided my time pitching in with detective work for Jump City PD, and I know Cyborg has taken the time to work on a number of projects.

It wasn't until late afternoon until Cyborg came to visit me. It was well after lunch, which had been an independent "fix your own stuff whenever" affair, to share what were concerns.

He knocked on my door, and entered when I bade him in. He seemed less worried and just put-off or curious to me, so I didn't figure he had anything major to ask.

"Hey, Rob, you seen BB?"

I didn't even need to look up from my papers. Cyborg and Beast Boy hadn't done much lately, so I figured he was just looking to hang out with Beast Boy.

"Nope. If you're looking, just check his comm's location."

"Yea, I figured you'd say that. What about Raven? Seen her?"

Well, that question at least made me look up from my work.

"No, per usual. Any particular reason?"

I could tell something was up. Asking about the whereabouts of those two is always suspicious, especially since they're prone to destroying each other. Well, not recently anyways.

"NOOO. Of course not. It's just that whenever two people who like each other disappear mysteriously for the afternoon, I typically raise an eyebrow…" Cyborg said sarcastically.

"You've noticed that too, huh?"

"Uh, how could I not? I mean, BB is BB, and he's never really done a good job at hiding anything…but what's surprised me is Raven recently. Don't get me wrong, I've called this for years, but it feels weird to watch it come together. I feel creepy almost."

"What about Raven have you noticed?" I asked rather calmly.

"Oh, sure, Mr. Serious here with the questions. Drop the act and just _GOSSIP _for a moment, won't ya?"

I gave him an apologetic shrug. I do occasionally take things to far, but someone has to keep this place grounded.

"But anyways, BB hasn't changed, but Raven has. After the whole 'Brain' thing, she was just more…relaxed. It's what she hasn't done that stands out."

"Such as?"

"Not throwing BB out the window for one! Did you see BB intentionally make her tea only to try to flirt with her yesterday! He did everything he could think of to make Raven awkward, and she didn't even bat an eye!"

"What all did he do, exactly?"

"Well, he…uh…made her tea…and called her 'mamma' and…well, that's about it."

I gave Cyborg a blank stare.

"Well, I have noticed that she's been more tolerant of Beast Boy lately, but she's also been more expressive in general. Did you notice that?"

He gave me a defeated look, complete with slouched shoulders.

"No…"

I looked back down at my papers.

"Well, thanks for sharing your concerns, but I'm not entirely sure that I share them…"

Cyborg walked out, and I worked till late that night. I had just gotten back from grabbing a slice of cold pizza when I got an incoming call from the Justice League's HQ.

"Computer: Answer call on private line, my office."

The computer beeped in reply, and the conference call soon came up. The voice control was one of the many things Cyborg had been working on, and so far it had worked the best.

On the conference call in front of me, there was Martin Manhunter and Batman on the screen. The JL hadn't been entirely pleased with _how_ we handled the Brain's plot (mainly that they weren't included) but over time they began to appreciate our successes for what they were: successes. There was only one thing that they were still sore over, though.

"Robin, we've monitored a significant power shift to your area tonight. Do you have anything to declare?" Batman asked stoically.

"Declare? What, am I immigrating or something?...No, first I've heard of it. What type of power shift?"

"Zatanna isn't sure of specifics yet" was the Manhunter's reply.

"Zatanna? A magical power surge? That's different than just a power surge, guys. By a lot. What's going on?"

Batman and J'onn shared a look before replying.

"We're not sure. There is a massive shift in power that's been detected, and we're getting Dr. Fate to follow up on Zatanna's original readings." Batman replied.

"Well, if you're calling me, it's not to find out information. It's to see if I knew anything about it; they only way I would know is if it was from my team. Which leads me to think you suspect Raven is the cause, seeing as she's magically inclined. If this were a heads up or a courtesy call, Batman would have made it _alone_…so why don't you guys tell me the angle here?"

For a second, as Batman and J'onn shared a second glance, Batman almost looked smug. Almost.

"There is no angle, but we're still largely in the dark as to how Raven's powers work or her relationship to her father." J'onn stated.

"And I've given you a copy of my extensive files, as well as updates whenever I make them. You have everything I have."

"Robin, the problem isn't _on_ paper. The League doesn't like having a potentially unchecked demon suddenly gain massive power about an hour ago." Batman's tone implied that while the situation wasn't likely to escalate far, the League was serious.

"So, you think Raven has succumbed to the father _who no longer exists_ an hour ago and things have been so quiet that I haven't noticed anything? If that even did happen, we would know within seconds from the proximity damage alone…"

Batman seemed to like that answer (former student showing up the League, and all) and J'onn didn't seem to be able to state anything against that. At least for the time being.

"You take care not to let anything blow up. We're not turning a blind eye this time…" J'onn's words rang almost like a threat as the screen went dark.

So that's where I find myself now. Running through possible scenarios that would cause Raven's power's to flux without creating any chaos or commotion whatsoever. And I just keep coming back to what Cyborg was getting at. It all seems so coincidental.

And I don't like those.

POV BREAK (Raven's POV) ONE DAY BEFORE

IF I am being brutally honest, then yes, deep down I enjoy time spent with Beast Boy. I don't know why, I know not how, and it took forever for myself to accept it (and persuasions from my other selves), but I do like Beast Boy. Plain and simple, right?

No; now the half-demon part comes into play. I've always had to suppress what I feel and what I express because harnessing emotions is dangerous. That's the way it's always been because that's how my father made it. It basically was a curse that accompanied my powers: as long as I rejected my father, my emotions and powers wouldn't mix. When I defeated him, that faded, but didn't go away. I had more emotional flexibility than ever before, and I didn't know what to do with it. I had the ability to feel more than I thought I could, at least up until recently when I finally reached my max.

And that was brought on by Beast Boy. The tea he made me this morning tasted all the sweeter because of his involvement, which horrified part of me and excited the other. I've been trying to just go along with my feelings without stopping to question too much, else I'm afraid of reverting back to just denying everything.

At lunch, after a morning spent reading in solitude, I was accompanied by none other than Beast Boy. I don't know why, but today he just seemed better than usual. His jokes were, on occasion, funny, and we both ended up just spending time together talking. Like it was nothing. Like we were friends. Like we were more than friends.

And then I had to go and ruin the ride. We were having such a good time that we had moved into my room. Not for anything other than Beast Boy's insistence on seeing if he could transform into the four-eyed raven's that decorated my room (and also my mindscape). From there, things became complicated as I completely killed the light conversation.

"This has all been…nice, actually."

"Well, thanks, I guess. Were you expecting me to suck?"

"No, but _you _better not expect that from _me_." I don't exactly know why I said it. Alluding to the fact that I won't be sucking anything didn't help our conversation. He just stared at me dumbfounded, and I felt a sheepish desire to pull my hood as far over my face as possible.

"Did…did you just…?"

I gave a small nod, and Beast Boy just lost it. He was quite literally rolling on the floor while laughing, and I felt as if a weight was taken off my shoulders.

As he simmered down, things finally went back to normal.

"Hehe, sorry. I just never pictured you saying…something like that."

"Why not? 'Cause I'm the cold, emotionless one?"

"No, 'cuz you're the one who's no fun! Wait, what do you mean?"

Crap. And I just got the conversation back to normal.

"You know, the one who can't feel anything. At least, that's what everything thinks."

"…because you told them that…"

Touché.

"Never mind that."

He didn't even seem fazed by my sudden dark statements.

"Well, uh, can I ask a question?"

I arched an eyebrow at him.

"Well, uh, so I know that you can't feel as much because of your powers, but why does that matter if Trigon's gone?"

That was…actually a good question.

"Well, because he's not completely gone. His power is still there, not being used. The problem with being so powerful is that if he power sits there long enough, he will find a way to regain it, even from beyond the grave…"

"Well, that sucks. Can't we like…beat him to it?"

"And do what? Take the power for ourselves?"

"Yea. So he can't get it. Can _you_ do that?"

I sat there almost dumbfounded. Every part of my wanted to say 'no, idiot, that's the whole thing we are trying to avoid.' Yet, part of me wanted to know the answers to his question. Why can't I control his power if he's gone? He can't influence me, can he?

We eventually changed the subject, but what he had said stayed on the back of my mind the rest of the day.

The next morning, he again brought me tea and antagonized me by calling me 'mamma,' but it didn't actually bother me. I had gone to bed after having done so much work researching what he had mentioned that I was just stuck in "open-minded mode" so that I seemed to consider everything, such as the possibility that I could be with him. If that happened, he was going to have to find a new nickname, however.

Later that afternoon, I had convinced myself that it was possible. I decided to set everything up, but still couldn't shake the feeling that something could go wrong. I looked through my books for a possible failsafe for what I was to try, but it wasn't until my thoughts strayed to Beast Boy that I figured out what I was going to do. I sent him a message telling him to come to my room, and then got to work on the preparations.

There was a knock on the door, followed by his voice.

"Uh, Raven?"

I used my powers to open the door.

"In here. Come in."

I had the curtains closed and the room was illuminated by the ring of candles around where I stood. Everything had been set up just right.

Beast Boy walked slowly, as if the setting creeped him out. I wouldn't exactly blame him, if I walked into a demon trap and didn't know it.

"So, uh, what's with the candles?"

"It's a demon trap that I added a few extra rules to. I can't leave it, unless you (and only you) were to blow out one of the candles."

"O…kay. So did you trap yourself and need help getting out?"

"No. I've been thinking about what you said…"

"Aww, man, I should have been listening…"

"About taking Trigon's power before he does. I _can_ take his power, and it should free me to feel emotions without anything bad happening."

He seemed to think about that for a brief second.

"Oh. That's good. How'd you do it?"

I paused for a second, knowing this wouldn't be easy to explain. Or at least not easy to get him to agree with it.

"I haven't done it yet. If I…assume his position…then I will be granted all of his power. I just have to take control of everything that I've ran from…"

"Well…that's certainly one option…"

"And I know it sounds insane, but I have every reason to believe that I will gain his power but still be in full control. My father was evil because that's who he was, not because his powers made him. It shouldn't be any different for me…"

"You mean you're evil!? Worst kept secret ever!"

"No, I'll still be me…what the heck does that mean anyways!?"

He just gave me his trademarked grin.

"So, if it won't be bad, then why am I here?"

"Well…two reasons. One, in case this does somehow go awry, I've set this trap to contain myself. Only you can let me out of this, so I won't be released until we know I'm safe."

"And two?"

"I-I wanted you here because…"

"HELLO? Earth to Raven! Because?"

"…when I do this, I may need something or someone to remind me what I care about."

Beast Boy seemed taken aback by this.

"Oh…WAIT A MINUTE!"

I cringed, both mentally and physically as a realized what I just said. Apparently, he must have caught on too.

"Did you just say that you care about me?!"

"…Maybe…"

"HA!"

"'HA!' what?"

"…I don't know. I've never really expected to get this far…"

"Really?"

"Well, yea, this all seemed like a far-fetched dream until fifteen seconds ago…"

"Fair enough. Can I worry about the whole demon-trap/accepting father's power first though?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and let me go right ahead. I went to start, but he distracted me by going 'OOH!' and running towards one of my shelves. He picked up a small object and ran it over to me, forcing it into my hand.

"For good luck" he said while trying to contain the biggest grin, and I was left looking into my palm where he left a penny. THE penny. The one he gave to me before I destroyed the world, which I somehow associate with positive feelings from that day.

The irony of the situation was not lost on either of us. We made eye contact for a brief moment before I gave him a small smile. He beamed as if he had won the lottery at that, and I went back to the task at hand.

I began to chant my mantra, while slowly weaving in other words. Some pertaining to Trigon, some to the magic, and some used to help me control the process. As the mantra started to pick up pace, I could feel the energy building. I was able to locate the inter-realital void where Trigon's power was idling laying, and began to tap into it. Although my eyes were closed, I could feel the red symbols on my body light up.

Soon, I weaved part of "The Gem" mantra into my growing mantra, and this activated the last start-up step: the rings of runes that floated around me when I become the portal reappeared. Now I was ready and everything was primed, just waiting for the last three words. I opened my eyes to see Beast Boy watching nervously with extremely wide eyes. I gave him an uncharacteristic wink, why I don't know, and then finished the spell.

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

Instantly, the portal-runes shifted into a ball of light that encompassed me. I could feel the Trigon's immense power suddenly pouring into me, and I didn't feel any different other than that. It would have been easy to miss any changes in the midst of having power literally poured down upon you.

After a minute, the process had completed and I dropped onto my knees. I wasn't able to fall to any one side because the trap prohibited me, which reminded me that Beast Boy was still there. I stood up, only to see Beast Boy's expression slowly become filled with horror.

"What? What's wrong?! What happened Beast Boy?"

"…how am I supposed to know if you're the real Raven. I mean, you don't _look_ like her anymore."

He nodded towards my body, as if to make his point. I looked much the same except for my skin, which had turned red, and my eyes, which had shifted into Trigon's four red eyes. I could always tell when they shifted because it came with a great increase in vision, especially in the dark.

I quickly focused on finding a spell that returned me to my normal appearance. I had had this happen once before, and ever since had memorized something that would revert me back to how I preferred to look. With that done, Beast Boy relaxed but didn't immediately free me.

"So how am I supposed to know if you are the real Raven?"

His insistence annoyed me a little, but only because I know that I am me. He can't, so I should be glad he has the good sense to make sure.

"Well, you'd have to ask me something only the real Raven would know." I lied. If someone took over my body, then they would have access to my memories in a full takeover. However, right now I just wanted out of this trap. I didn't know if what I did made me full demon or not, but I still didn't like being trapped here.

"Well…the _real_ Raven basically said she like me, so…"

I already don't like where this is going…

"…tell me why Raven likes _me_."

Of course, the _one_ question I can't answer. I stared at the ground, trying to think of what to tell him. I mean, it's not for his jokes alone, or his looks alone, or his personality alone. I seem to be using 'alone' a lot, which means I like some of those things, but they aren't why I like him.

"I…I don't know. I suppose it's because he makes me feel wanted and loved, and I can feel his warmth whenever I'm around him. He makes me _feel_, and that's something I'm not used to…"

Beast Boy seemed taken back, before slowly walking up and blowing out the candles.

"Well, I guess that works."

Before he even knew it, I had him in a hug. Heck, I had him in a hug before _I _even knew it.

"Thank you." I told him, and unlike the last two times we had hugged, the other person hugged back before it was over.

"You know, if you really want to thank me, we could go to dinner…"

I broke the hug and gave him a blank look.

"Way to go, you killed it."

"Aww, so no dinner?"

I walked past him, then looked back and gave him a small smirk.

"Well, I didn't say that…"

POV BREAK (Beast Boy's POV)

Things were getting really weird now. And that's not even counting the date I had with _Raven_. We went to dinner for seafood, where she had calamari and I don't even remember looking at what I ordered. On our flight back, she got urgent message from Robin that said she needed to speak to him, and that Robin said to keep it secret. She decided that if 'we' would work, then we would both need to be honest with each other and sneaky around everyone else, which is why I knew this much.

The rest I found out because I was in the air vents watching the meeting.

Raven walked into Robin's office, and Robin seemed slightly flustered.

"What's got you riled up, Robin?"

"We need to talk, and I need you to be…honest…with me, Raven. Earlier, some large power fluctuations were picked up coming from the tower; they were magical in nature. Was that you?"

Raven, who had sat down at the end of the long table on the opposite end of Robin, instantly locked up. She still had her hood on, and it was difficult to tell, but she definitely became more closely guarded.

"…yes. Why?"

"I…need to know what happened, Raven…"

"And why should I tell you? What business of it is yours?"

"Come on, Raven, if something happened then it's my business to know about it. You should know that."

Usually, that would be the last thing that would work. That should have even enraged Raven a little bit. Robin actually flinched before Raven reacted as if he expected as much.

We were both surprised when Raven answered calmly.

"Fine. You should know…"

That answer definitely surprised us both.

"…I found a way to accept Trigon's power."

Robin's went wide, and he immediately began to rub his face as if something had went horribly wrong. Raven began to talk faster as if she knew that he was already judging her without hearing her full story.

"But it doesn't have any side effects. It actually helps me control my emotions; I shouldn't ever have any more problems with them!"

"No no no, Raven! You got it all wrong! You were supposed to lock up and walk out as if I had offended you! The Justice League is listening in on this Raven! Now there's no way they will leave you alone!"

Raven's eyes went wide, and she began to get more than defensive. She got angry.

"The Justice League? They already don't trust me! What do you think they'll do if they hear about this?! They'll hunt me down like a criminal, Robin!"

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought of what to do. He reached out onto his communicator and typed a message in, then sent it to Raven. I could only see what it said on her screen.

"JL has ears here only. They can't see us."

Raven read the text, then looked back up to Robin with an idea already forming.

"I won't be arrested and processed without doing anything wrong! If you can't help me…I'll just leave."

Raven said it, with the slightest hint of a question in her voice, as if waiting for a confirmation.

"And what? Make yourself a fugitive in order to show your innocence?" Robin questioned, while giving her a large nod that told her that she should leave while she could.

"Better than staying with backstabbing friends…"

Robin flinched a little, and mouthed a 'sorry' while Raven gave a small, knowing nod back expressing to him that she was just putting on a show. I sat here amazed since I still can't even figure out which way to plug in a USB while they have their own little language here.

"No, I take that back… my friends have been amazing. It's our treacherous leader that's the problem…"

With that, Raven vanished into the floor, and Robin immediately turned to the blank TV screen. I took the chance to send Raven a text to let her know I saw it all and she shouldn't bother saying goodbye, as long as we meet up eventually. All she had time to reply was "Thank you. Will do."

Robin's screen turned on to a conference call of the Justice League's entire leadership, many of which did not seem happy. At first, I felt like watching Robin tear into them (he was not happy to have forced Raven on the run) but instead I felt like trying to catch Raven on her way out. She didn't have to stop for me to wave goodbye, or something.

I made it to her room, only to hear her frantically pacing and packing. I knocked on the door and quietly called her name, and all of a sudden I dropped through the floor and re-appeared on the other side. I didn't even have time to let my stomach get queasy from the teleportation before I had to dodge some flying article or other. Within a minute, Raven had magically assorted all of her belongings until the room was empty. Her stuff had disappeared, and I guessed she sent it to the dimension that she always threatened to send me.

"So, uh, this is goodbye?" I asked.

Raven turned around and gave me yet another hug, only this time more desperate and tighter.

"Far from it. This is the beginning…"

"Okay. That works too, I guess."

"I'll be in touch, Beast Boy. In the meantime, don't tell anyone about us. Robin or I will figure a way out of this."

We broke apart, and she began to open a portal to her side.

Before she got in, she walked back up to me, whispered in my ear, and handed me something. She jumped into her portal, and that was the last I saw of Raven for a while.

It took me a few moments to process what she said: "You know what this is for."

I looked down to find a penny in my hand…


	2. One Month Later

Side Effects

Chapter 2

Author's Note: Alright, this is a back-to-back update, which isn't something I do often. However, I usually carve out extra time for new stories, so don't expect these frequent updates too often. It also helps that I'm grounded from my Xbox 360 and thus I don't have anything better to do. Shout out from my first reviewer, who is actually from Mexico, so props to you. I guess fandoms unite us all xD

Beast Boy's POV

They called us all in for debriefing. From Robin's attitude, though, I'd say it's more like a prostate exam. It was pretty cool getting beamed up, but I didn't even get a chance to call someone 'Scotty.' I have a feeling Cy made sure of that…

When we got there, Batman and Martian Manhunter were waiting for us by the telepads.

"You four, follow us. We have a lot to discuss." J'onn stated with a slight sour note in his tone. I don't know if they figured out the Robin let Raven go, or if they always are in a bad mood, but everyone we passed seemed to watch us for a little longer than is normal. I felt like people were staring longer than they should, even for a group that was as multicolored as us.

They led us into a circular room with a large roundtable in the middle. Most of the JL leadership (including Superman) were already gathered, but not all of them were sitting. Some were pacing around and some were just leaning against their chairs, but they told us to sit at the end. There were still multiple seats between our chairs and the JL.

"Off the bat, I'm supposed to tell you that you are not in any trouble, despite letting her walk. We can't reasonable assume that you would turn over your teammate; or violate the 'Free Walk' clause of your contracts…" Batman stated. It seemed like he had chosen his words carefully in order to break the ice.

"We have a contract?" I mumbled.

"We do…" Robin answered, never breaking eye contact with Batman, "…or some of us do. Those of us more likely to need to go underground. Between us and the Doom Patrol it would have been to stifling to make you sign a contract."

"Oh. Cool. I wouldn't read it anyways…"

"Yea, and you are LUCKY green bean. I was gonna put stuff like "Cyborg's personal carwash assistant and meat taste-tester' in there!"

"BACK to the subject on hand, we need to know if you can help us find her. We would prefer to bring her in without any violence or resistance, but if she feels the need to run then we will pursue her." J'onn said.

"There isn't much we can do. She'll know not to ask us for help, and part of our recovery from the Brain's plot was setting up private safe houses. Each member was allotted funds to build a safehouse only they knew of, for this type of scenario…" Robin replied.

"You gave everyone money to build an untraceable safehouse to hide from us?" Superman asked. His voice boomed across the room. "Where did you get the money?"

"It was a donation from a subsidiary of Mr. Wayne, and established donor to Batman who was more than happy to help us." Robin replied smugly. We knew that the money came from Batman, but this was the first time that I heard who gave Batman the money.

"Can we get back to the task at hand? Thank you…Now, Robin, we are currently employing the help of the UN to roadblock Raven's movements, and will be diverting a large amount of resources to searching for her. Is there anything that will help us narrow down parameters?" Batman asked. Robin gave him a look that said 'you know everything I will tell you' but he replied anyways.

"No, there isn't anything that we can help you with. You're going to need to get lucky to find her. I don't even think I could convince her to surrender even if she were surrounded. She's too smart for that."

"So you're trying to tell us that there isn't _anything _you can help us with? We are trying to catch your rouge demon here…" Hawkgirl interjected. She definitely sounded sarcastic, but not like Raven's sarcasm. This almost seemed threatening.

I looked over to see that Robin had grown frustrated with where the conversation was going. He rose, and prepared himself for a classic 'Robin's dramatic statement before a fight' moment.

I sure hope there isn't a fight. I don't want to take Batman or Superman.

"If you're trying to find Raven, then _good luck_…" Robin spat out. "…because she's used to hiding. She's great at it. All it takes is half a second for her to change her appearance, and she speaks numerous languages. She'll blend in on Wall Street and in the Middle East. There isn't any way to stop her movements, and she won't leave a trail. You won't find Raven unless she wants to be found…"

Robin turned and walked away, and the rest of us Titans quickly followed. We headed to an elevator and eventually wound up in the cafeteria. No one spoke, but I could tell that everyone but Robin wanted to say something. After a few minutes, Batman came down and took the last seat at our table.

"I was serious when I said you aren't in trouble. I honestly can't speak for Raven, but running always looks guilty. For now, we want you all confined to the Middle floor. It's been renovated so it doesn't feel so much like a prison. We even added a game console after we received a handwritten crayon letter from 'Garfield Logan.'"

"Then why is the Middle floor so bad?" I asked. I mean, if they actually took my letter seriously, how bad can it be?

"It used to be maximum security, but we have a new area for that. Now it's protective custody, and is sealed off from all forms of outside magic, including the same runes from your 'safe room' for Raven at the Tower. It just usually seems like a prison to most people…"

"Hey, if it's got a console, then why am I even still sitting here? Cy, you in?"

"Absolutely grass stain!"

POV BREAK (Batman's POV) One month later

Robin was right. She was smart, and wouldn't be found unless she wanted it. I think for the last week, she's been testing us. Zatanna and Dr. Fate both confirmed that her magical presence was hidden so well, it was as if she wasn't even on earth anymore. A week ago, she popped back up in the Middle East. Robin was right again: she blended extremely well.

It was wise to choose her locations if she was indeed testing us. A place where women typically hid all but their eyes? Brilliant. Then there's always the potential for moving into Ra's al Gul's territory, which would have created difficulty for us.

Currently, we're searching her most recent hotspot: Dubai. A billionaire's playground it may be, but I'm not here as Bruce Wayne.

We finally got a firm fix on her location, and it's actually outside of Dubai. In the middle of sand, and nothing else. Like she had chosen a place near a major hub but far enough for no collateral damage. Like a trap, to be precise.

I obviously shared my suspicions, and we have a sizable reinforcement team waiting by the teleporter.

"Up ahead! Only fifty yards now!" Zatanna shouted. Dr. Fate either concurred or didn't bother correct her, because he remained silent. We continued to sludge through a sandstorm as we approached the target.

Suddenly, about 15 yards out, the sandstorm abruptly stopped. There was a perfect bubble, thirty feet wide, where there was no sand and a clear view of the sun. In the middle stood a figure in a dark blue cloak, with their head hidden from sight and the cloak hiding their body. Judging only by the height and cloak, it fit Raven's description perfectly.

"Raven, I presume?" I asked.

The person looked up, keeping the sun over their shoulder to hide their face.

"Perhaps. Who all is asking?"

"You know who we are, Raven. You could even name us…"

"Dr. Fate, Batman, and Zatanna. I can see you. I meant who all is waiting by to teleport in? Why don't they join us?"

I frowned. It's unwise to tip your hand, but it's also unwise to provoke a demon, so I instructed the reinforcements to come down. They landed in a ring around Raven, seemingly trapping her. She didn't seem trapped to me.

"Ah, some big names here. So glad to see I'm worth both Superman and a Green Lantern's time."

"You wanted us here, Raven. Why?"

"Well, you should always know your enemy…"

"Does that make us your enemy, then?" I asked.

"No. But that is up to you. Smearing my name and holding the one I love hostage is not a good way to make friends."

Suddenly, she took off her hood. As her face came into view, everyone flinched and braced themselves to attack. I gave them a signal to hold.

Raven's eyes had split into four, and were glowing red: Trigon's eyes. She brought her hand up above her, and summoned a light blue ring above her head. She brought the ring down over herself, and was gone. Before she vanished, I got a glimpse of her arm and the rest of her body underneath her cloak: it all glowed with red symbols, just like Robin described her as before her transformation into Trigon's portal.

Things did not look good for Raven.

"NO! She's…gone. There's nothing, not even a remnant of her power from the teleportation." Zatanna exclaimed.

"She's right. Whatever she just did, it isn't normal. I don't recall ever having seen this before…" Dr. Fate added.

Superman walked over to me, with something clearly on his mind.

"Did you hear that? She said the 'one' that she loved, not 'ones.'"

"I caught that too. I'll send an order for the changeling to be put into lockdown. I'll make sure they think it's for 'individual questioning.' They won't like that but shouldn't question it…"

Superman seemed somewhat surprised.

"Out of them all, why the changeling?"

"Who else is there? Robin and Starfire are officially dating, and she doesn't seem like the type to go behind someone's back. And of the remaining two, he seems much more likely…"

Superman didn't seem to fully agree, but let it slide.

"I guess that's why you are the detective. I wouldn't have pegged him…"

POV BREAK (Beast Boy's POV)

Great. I had to quit my game just as I was about to beat that stupid boss, all so I could sit in an interrogation room alone. Just great.

The technician was bragging about the quality of the room on the way in. Something about it being the most secure room aside from a holding cell, so deep within the Middle floor that nothing outside can get in without access. Not even magically.

All I can say is I've been sitting here waiting for Batman for thirty minutes and they didn't even offer me a bag of chips… I mean, if we are supposed to be happy here, why can't they at least give us decent snacks!

"HEY! Someone there?! I want some chips!"

No reply. I was about to put my head down in exasperation, but suddenly a bag of chips materialized in front of me and landed on the table with a soft thud. While I didn't wet my pants, I wouldn't exactly want my girlfriend (or Cyborg for that matter) to hear how high pitched my squeal was.

Huh. I wonder if I can actually call Raven that yet. I mean, one date isn't exactly a _lot_, but…

_*Yes, you can, actually. *_

I chill went down my spine, and my legs hit the bottom of the table as I jumped from fright!

"WHAT THE!...wait a second, I remember that feeling. Did you _read_ my thoughts!? Not cool!"

_*Please Garfield, speak with your mind like I taught you. Sorry for reading your thoughts, but I had to make sure you weren't knowingly part of a trap.*_

Ugh. I hate trying to communicate with telepathy. Just because someone gives you the ability to do it doesn't mean it's easy.

_^Testing testing, you got me the wrong chip brand. I prefer Cheesy Garlic Bread or Sour Cream and Onion.^_

My Original chips disappeared and in their place both of my requested flavors appeared.

_^Now THAT'S how you treat a guest! 'Bout time. Hey, uh, how'd you get in here anyways Raven?^_

_*For both our sakes, it's best if I _didn't _get in here. I need to know if you're willing to escape. I don't have a lot of time to explain, but if you escape without any evidence of my help, then we can meet up. Will you?*_

_^Uh, I guess so. Is there a plan or do I just punch Batman in the face…?^_

_*No, though I would love to see that. There is a plan. The door is unlocked, and the technician is taking a nap. You're going to walk back out and sit with the Titans. Exactly three minutes after that, there will be an explosion at the entrance of the Middle floor. Lead the charge and lunge at the intruder as a lion. After that, don't resist. We're going to make it look like a violent abduction…*_

_^We?^_

_*Yes. You'll see. Once we're clear, I'll explain everything. There are some things that _I _struggle to believe…*_

_^Alright. So I just get up?^_

_*Finish your chips. I'll need to dispose of the wrappers.*_

I did so, and got up to leave as instructed. The technician was reclined in a chair with a magazine over his eyes in a classic napping position. I navigated my way back to the others (with Raven chiming in to tell me I went the wrong way three times) and sat down.

*Three minutes starts now.*

"Hey, look who survived! I heard that serum has a 5% fatality rate…" Cyborg chimed. I rolled my eyes slightly nervously and sat down. No one but Robin even noticed my demeanor because Cyborg's comment scared Starfire.

"Injections? I do not understand, are not these the good guys? Why would they kill us? We should fight back!"

Robin took it upon himself to calm down Starfire, so I stood behind Cyborg and watched him easily defeat the level _after_ the one I was stuck on earlier.

Two minutes passed. Another thirty seconds. Another twenty.

10.

9.

8.

76543…

Still three…

Now two. My heart is not beating extremely rapidly, and I'm really not sure how I feel about what happens next.

One…

I mentally cringed, but did my best _not_ to show it.

And it came. Right on time, without missing even half a second. Rather professional, which worries me.

The explosion was loud and created a lot of smoke without doing extra damage. A second explosion took out the second door, and suddenly we were face to face with the intruder. A tall, muscular man in armor loaded with munitions and extra rounds for multiple large caliber weapons. In one hand he held a rocket launcher slung over his shoulder, and in the other was a long metal staff that he firmly planted on the ground.

What stood out was his mask. One eye-slot and half burnt orange, half blackish-gray. We all knew who it was.

Raven hired Slade.

Before Robin had a chance to organize us, I transformed and ran straight for him as planned. I morphed into a lion and charged, but was probed with the end of Slade's staff, which electrocuted me. I slumped down, conscious but unable to move, and Slade threw a disk at Robin.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got all I need. Later, Titans…"

Slade threw down smoke bombs in front of us and behind us, and I caught I glimpse of a blue ring that encompassed us. As soon as it passed us, I looked around to find us in a completely different place: Titan's Tower.

Slade approached me and scanned me with some hand-held device, before he was satisfied with whatever it was.

"He's clean. No tracers whatsoever. All yours now, I've got my own business to deal with…"

Slade seemed to have an argument with whoever he was talking with, I assume Raven, and it seemed that she was getting under his skin. It ended with Slade affirming that he remembered 'the deal' and that they would be in touch.

"Later kiddo. You should be able to move in two minutes…" he said as another blue ring encompassed him and took him away.

Once he left, I heard Raven's voice again.

_*Last thing. Go to your room and grab whatever you need, and toss it through the portal. No telling how long it may be…*_

With that completed, the ring finally encompassed me, and I found myself standing face to face with Raven in the middle of an empty, white-sand beach on a sunny day, next to a crystal ocean.

"The Tropics? You? Who woulda thought?"

"Kinda the point, Garfield. Come on inside, I'm sure there are more than a few things you want to know."

She turned to walk up the wooden steps to a large hut-like building behind her, and I ran to catch up, slipping my hand into hers in the process. She flinched but didn't draw away, and we made eye contact.

"I think I'll be fine until dinner…"

Author's Note: Not as long, but I've been waiting for this and the next chapter for a while. I usually fall asleep just thinking of great BBRae scenarios, but this one just kept growing and combined with my idea from the next chapter, so I had to make a story for it. The 'blue rings' are basically Raven's portals, but the same color as the runes that surrounded Raven as she became Trigon's portal in the three "The End" episodes. There is a reason for that, too.


	3. Angry Titans Here, Happy Titans There

Side Effects

Chapter 3

Batman's POV

"So are all bets placed?" Flash asked.

"Yes. Quiet, here they come…" Replied Superman.

I couldn't believe that under circumstances like this, we would be taking bets on what the Titans would do. At first, it was hectic when everyone wanted to bet on Robin's reaction and rant on recent events, but things went even further downhill once they realized that Robin wouldn't be the only one that was livid.

The door was already open (so that it wouldn't be flung off of its hinges) and in _marched_ three quite unhappy Titans. Starfire led the charge, with her eyes glowing green, and Robin was not far behind. Around the room, everyone had their clipboard in hand, ready to check off anytime someone's bet came true; everyone had copies of everyone's bets, so we would all know who the winner was. The whole thing just seemed unprofessional.

"I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY YOU PERSECUTE ONE OF MY FRIENDS AND LET ANOTHER BE ABDUCTED FROM YOUR OWN SAFEROOM!" Starfire hollered while bringing her fist down on the metal table. The table had been built knowing superheroes were likely to get angry around it, so it withstood the impact; still, the accompanying 'thud' did not sound good.

Everyone checked off "Starfire—scream, bang fist" from their lists.

Robin pulled Star aside to let her cool off, and he took up the soapbox next.

"There had better…" he spit out slowly through clenched teeth, "…be an _excellent_ explanation why half of my teammates are now _missing_." Robin did his best to sound calm and speak in a normal voice, which only highlighted his threat.

Everyone checked off "Robin—Calm, make threat, clenched teeth, speak slow" from their lists.

"HOLY COW! That's absolutely perfect through two Titans! How does he do it!?" Flash exclaimed. Despite how furious the Titans were, this dumbfounded them.

"WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Cyborg yelled, truly confused and frustrated that he was left out of the rants.

"…and check of 'Cyborg—confused, yells a question, wants to know what's going on' also." I declared.

Oh yes, this bet taking makes me sick to my stomach. That doesn't mean I won't try my hand at it…

"Unbelievable! Batman swept the bets! A perfect prediction…how does he do it?" Flash replied, grinning from ear to ear. They slid the pot [AN: as in the betting pool] to me, and someone forked over twenty bucks to Flash. Apparently, he put money on me winning the bet; smart man.

"Wait a minute…did you all put _bets_ on what you thought we would do?" Robin asked. A few people gave him a sheepish nod.

Robin looked as if his head was going to explode, but Cyborg beat him to the punch.

"That's…" Robin started, before being cut off by Cyborg.

"GENIUS! Why haven't we ever done this with Raven?" Cyborg exclaimed, effectively killing Robin's burst of rage before it started.

Superman stood up, and everyone else (myself included) sat down. It was a debate tactic we used to subliminally force our opponents (or whoever we were debating with) to sit down, become calm, and argue without blinding rage. We weren't necessarily going to debate the Titans, but the calming effects would smooth things out.

"Titans, I understand your frustration in not having a say, but you also haven't had all information. There are some things that, before now, were not for you to know. In an almost even vote of the members here, we decided to bring Robin alone up to speed on everything, so we would ask Starfire and Cyborg to wait elsewhere."

The two Titans both looked at Robin, who in turn looked at me. I nodded, and Robin hesitated but turned and nodded to dismiss the Titans. They walked out the door, and closed it behind them.

"Alright, you have my attention. What don't I know?" Robin asked in an annoyed tone.

"We think that this wasn't necessarily the work of 'Slade,' at least not as you know him. His dealings with the Titans were personal to him. Currently, we think that this was a matter of 'Deathstroke,' his professional persona." I opened.

Robin wasn't buying it.

"Then why did 'Deathstroke' take Beast Boy!?" Robin demanded.

"We think it was a…try out…of sorts. An audition—something to catch our attention. One week ago, we put out word that we were willing to hire someone as a strategic consultant for the near future. Slade's résumé and skillset are by far the most impressive, but we sent out word that we would take the best of five names. We think that this was to show us that he feels insulted the other names were even in contention, and that he would be willing to talk…"

Robin's eye twitched.

"So, in conclusion, _Slade_ kidnapped **Beast Boy** because you want to _hire him_ to work for you whilst you spend all of your other resources hunting **Raven**! In what universe does this NOT piss me off!?" Robin demanded.

To be fair, he had a point. I decided it best to tell him such.

"Fair enough, but there's one more thing you don't know. The reason why we sent your teammates out…" I explained.

Robin interlaced his fingers and tilted his head, saying with his body language in the most sarcastic way possible 'oh, _please_, do tell.'

"Darkseid is back. We don't know how, but he's alive and has already amassed an army."

Robin literally flinched when I said Darkseid. It was after Darkseid's last raid that he left Gotham, angry at how everything had went down. We made some mistakes in our defensive strategies that Robin had called out numerous times, yet was shut down because he was still a kid. Thus, when things went awry, he became furious and left to form a team of kids like himself to prove their worth.

Well, he's sitting here now, so that part worked.

Robin didn't speak; instead, I recognized a glassed look on his eyes which told me he was considering the implications of what I had just said.

"_That's_ why we're hunting Raven now. We can't afford for her to be evil and align with Darkseid, nor will we have the ability to bring her in after a battle with Darkseid. In a perfect world, she would come in peacefully and help us fight Darkseid, but we don't think even that would be worth risking her succumbing to her demonic influences (if she hasn't already)…"

Robin continued to think things over, and I looked around the room to see grim faces. Everyone had appointed it my job to break this news, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I knew I could get through to Robin, and I have.

Robin suddenly snapped out of his stare.

"What are you doing differently this time around?" He asked.

"I knew you'd ask that. We're implementing your old suggestions, namely the employment of villains in the defense of earth."

"And that's how…" Robin trailed off.

"Yes. We took your advice and hired your nemesis to help organize everything…"

POV BREAK (Raven's POV)

Since he 'arrived,' things with Beast Boy have gone great. The beach house was originally built for five (incase for some reason I brought the whole team) and was somewhat modeled after the Tower, so Beast Boy didn't have any problems moving in. He picked the room with a high ceiling and a hammock, which had been designed for him in the first place: plenty of places to take a literal cat-nap. Like every room, it was customized for a specific Titan but had basics like a TV, air conditioning, facilities, etc. It wasn't anything like my own room, but it was definitely good enough to be a vacation house.

True to his form, Beast Boy set up his gaming _consoles_ as soon as he stepped through the door. With that out of the way, he started to unpack whatever he had and make himself at home. I waited for him in the living room, which was actually a large patio under the same roof as everyone else. It didn't have an outside wall half-way around and was themed like a tropical hut, but it was set up almost identical to the Tower's living room. There was even an option to close off the open wall for privacy (and to let the air conditioning do its magic).

I let Garfield know that when he was finished, I'd be in the living room (and gave specific instructions on how to get there) waiting for him. It was only 20 minutes before the hinged-door creaked open and out he walked. His face made a rare expression as if he had been in deep thought for that whole twenty minutes, and it made his entire persona seem weighed down (not to mention the heavy emotions he felt). I couldn't bear to see him like that; _I _am the one here who's a fugitive and he's supposed to be the happy one.

"You want to talk about me, don't you?" I asked.

Beast Boy's eyebrows arched and his face instantly molded into mild shock.

"Uh…well, yea. How'd you know? I thought you didn't read peoples' thoughts without permission!"

"I didn't. What else would you want to talk about?" I asked.

He shrugged after pausing to think about it.

"Eh, good point. So…where do we start?"

Beast Boy plopped down on the couch next to me. The sun had recently set, and I had walled up the patio. Currently, the lights were up high as I had been reading with them before Garfield came in.

"Well, you don't have to start. I started all of this, so I'll explain it all. Sound fair?"

Beast Boy shrugged and waited for me to start.

I took a deep breath to sort my head. With something like this, where _do_ I start? There's so much that I don't even understand yet. I guess I should give him some background first; not like he's an expert in inter-realital affairs.

"Alright, do you know _why_ Trigon even needed me if he is the most powerful being we know of?"

Beast Boy shook his head no almost without thinking about it.

"It's because he's from a different reality. There are numerous dimensions in a reality, with each of them varying from highly packed to empty and abandoned. It takes portals and significant energy to get from one dimension to another. My home, Azarath, is in a different dimension. Trigon was in a completely different reality altogether, one that he had completely and fully conquered…"

I trailed off as I noticed Beast Boy's eyes glaze over while he was looking at me. I snapped my fingers and asked him if he got any of what I said.

"Yea, uh portals, dimensions, realities. Got it…"

"Anyways, it is next to impossible to send even something as small as a penny from one reality to another, and larger objects such as Trigon himself simply aren't possible by anyone's means."

"Then how did you open the portal? Or how did you even _get _here?" He asked. I was pleasantly surprised that he was not only paying attention, but also retaining some of it.

"Because there is a loophole, Gar. The only thing that can be sent to different realities is pure energy as long as someone on the other side is receiving the energy. _That's_ how everything was done. He sent energy to Slade's corpse to revive him, and then Slade summoned minions with that energy. But his real accomplishment was 'Scath.' There was a cult following here that worshipped him without ever receiving contact from him, so he gave them as much power as he could spare. They used that power to cast a spell that would ultimately allow me to be the portal. Normally, when someone tries to send something through realities, they die because they are too weak; my _curse_ allowed it that my death during the process would ensure that the portal opened. Basically, they poked a hole in the fabric of time by killing me…"

Beast Boy's eyes had widened until I felt like I was reading a bed time story to a little kid (again). But he didn't interrupt.

"The thing is…I was never supposed to survive. There shouldn't have been any way for me _to_ survive. But I did. And Trigon's power had created a void in between realities where it was waiting to be claimed. But when I claimed his power, the curse that caused me to be born was completed. And because I was supposed to die, no one knew what would happen when I fulfilled the curse. No one knew the side effects of dying to open a portal to a different dimension…"

His eyes had glazed over again, and I realized what had happened: he had got distracted from staring at me. I blushed slightly and snapped at him again, causing him to panic.

"Reality, curse, side effects! I was listening!"

I shook my head whilst rolling my eyes, then resumed my 'bedtime story.'

"Now that I am the 'New Trigon,' I have more energy than anyone. But that's not even the most significant thing. I can open…_portals_…" I said that last part more quietly, as if making it seem more important.

"OOooh. Watch out, Rae's got even MORE portals guys!" Beast Boy mocked.

I reached out and hit him in the arm, and he found it extremely funny and started to giggle like a school girl.

"Not just any portal. I can open portals into other _realities_." I said, my voice heavy with implications.

"Ooooh. Look out for Rae's portals…" he mocked again.

"_R-e-a-l-i-t-i-e-s. _Without even thinking about it. It takes less energy than anything else I do, and it's supposed to be completely IMPOSSIBLE."

He finally stopped mocking me, but still didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Untraceable. Unheard of. Unstoppable. There's no spell that can stop it because this is the first time it's ever been possible. I could just disappear in front of the greatest sorcerers around, and they would never have a clue what happened. Beast Boy…I have Trigon's power and a physics-defying spell _both built into me!_"

"Okay, so you can go anywhere at any time without anyone knowing and have all of Trigon's power. Is that it?"

As much as it frustrated me that he didn't immediately see how _groundbreaking_ this was, he did effectively sum what I said up.

"Not just Trigon's power. In Trigon's dimension, I now _am_ the new Trigon. You don't think that he ruled an empty _reality_, do you? He had trillions of lifeforms enslaved, and massive armies on top of that. I've spent most of the last month doing what I can to free them, but there's so much to do…"

"So you started freeing them?"

"Yes. I didn't want Trigon's legacy of terror to reign any longer. Most of them have been slaves their whole lives, and don't have anyone who _can_ lead them, so I spent three straight weeks setting up _millions_ of governments…"

Beast Boy shivered when I said that. I guess he wouldn't want to set up millions of governments in such a short time; it does almost sound like torture…

"You can _do_ that?"

"Why not? I'm the new Trigon, remember? It turns out that a lot of them wanted to join my armies just because they wanted steady protection. So now I have massive armies with demonic powers just waiting to be released. And I also have a 'specialist' should I ever need his services."

"In other words, _don't _come into your room without knocking?" He asked with a grin.

I couldn't help myself. Before I could stop, I let out a laugh. I quickly recovered by slapping a hand over my mouth, but it was too late. I knew what was coming.

"AH HA! ADMIT IT! You _do _think I'm funny!"

"You idiot! We're dating! _Some _of the things you say had to be funny or that wouldn't have happened..."

"Admit it!"

I crossed my arms and looked away as if I was too snobby to reply.

"Admit, or you'll be sorry!"

I gave a small shake 'no.'

Suddenly, his entire demeanor changed into a more…mature tone. As if he suddenly remembered something important.

"Hey, uh, so how does Slade work into all of this?"

"Oh, I forgot him. Remember how Trigon revived him from the dead, and how he stole his flesh back from Trigon? That basically means that I _own_ his body. I leave him free to keep up appearances, but whenever I need him, he's mine."

"So you made Slade your servant? SWEET!" He exclaimed. Some part of me relaxed; I was nervous that association with Slade would be a breaking point, or that he would have second thoughts about me inheriting trillions of people _chained like animals_.

I guess my _boyfriend_ is pretty easy to convince; Robin? Probably not as much.

"So can your emotions cause you to lose control anymore?" He asked? He said it as if he had been waiting to ask this for a while, and finally found the right time. He was almost _giddy_ as he asked.

"No. That only lasted until I accepted my father's power. It's gone for good…" I told him.

Suddenly, he grinned. It was no ordinary grin; it was a grin that made me freeze, because it meant something was up.

"Good!" he commented before leaning over and kissing me.

I froze. I mean for a moment, I wasn't certain that time was still moving. I _am _capable of that, you know. Then I realized what was happening, and I decided not to fight it. I decided to give in savor the moment, because it was bound to happen from the moment my emoticlones forced me to admit I like Garfield. It _started _to feel amazing, but just as I closed my eyes and began to enjoy the bliss of the moment, he pulled away.

"Told ya you'd regret it!" He said while wearing that goofy, ear-to-ear grin.

"Why would I regret it now?" I asked, with a small, sly, _happy_ grin of my own.


	4. Adventures of Raven's Sidekick: Slade

Side Effects

Chapter 4

Slade's POV

All things considered, I suppose I shouldn't complain about how things worked out. After all, I do have my flesh back, and I live how I please. Aside from that, there are a few strings attached. I suppose that's what happens when you make a deal with the devil; fortunately, his daughter is not _as_ vindictive.

But she was opportunistic. I'll give her that much.

And now I found myself calling upon a master. Like a dog that tugs on its leash, then brings its owner a bone so that he gets a little bit more length of leash. Like a pet hitman. And while the irony of my entire situation is not lost on me, I do find myself with certain parameters that I am not fond of.

It's not like the _new_ Trigon is anything like the last one; she doesn't bother me much and has always had interesting assignments (such as taking the changeling from Robin's side). But it's the principle of it all that sickens me; that _I_ am no more than a pawn, a lapdog to Raven.

Well, for now anyways, _Deathstroke the Terminator_ will walk into the Justice League's headquarters as his own master. It was truly enjoyable watching Robin squirm during the conference call where they explained why they needed my services. A Darkseid invasion already had on the edge of their seats, but Robin seemed to truly struggle with my presence. Good; I guess this job isn't all bad.

I was given specific coordinates from where the League would teleport me into the Tower. On arrival, there were a few random but powerful members just "loafing" around, obviously as support should I try to blow something up again. Aside from the insignificants running the console, the only person who looked like they were supposed to be here was Batman. He looked as calm as ever, and approached me with unwavering confidence.

"Mr. Wilson, despite any of your past jobs, as of now you are on our tab and thus are our asset. I don't doubt you've already begun thinking about our situation, so we'll be on our way to a war room meeting."

Batman seemed cordial, stern, and business-like. Everything I would expect from the Dark Knight.

"Ah, Batman. It's refreshing to be treated like a consultant and not a hired gun; I was worried if that perception might hinder our progress."

We began walking down the corridors, presumably to the war room.

"I've pondered the same thing. With the stakes at hand, I don't imagine many of us—especially those who were here the last time this happened—would stall progress…except, possibly…" he trailed off.

"Robin" I said firmly. He nodded without turning towards me, and we finished the walk in silence. Upon reaching the room, we entered to find everyone important scattered around the room. While the place had its own buzz before I entered, upon entering everything slowly quieted, as if everyone froze when they noticed me.

"You all knew he was coming. Don't look shocked." Batman antagonized.

Superman made his way to the front, standing tall as ever, and sized me up.

"Deathstroke, I take it. I assume you already have something for us?"

Oh, do I _ever_. Armed with knowledge that I doubt anyone outside this room is privy to, I can make this as painfully awkward as I want.

"Indeed. But I feel as if I'm missing some substantial 'X' factor, something that has come to your attention but hasn't been shared with myself. I received the copies of your troop movements and stations, reports on the best locations for a battle, and even projected squad lists. It all felt as if I was missing an important 'flux.'"

As I spoke, I slowly eyed the room. Eyes were narrowed, postured straightened, lips licked, necks scratched; I had obviously struck a large nerve. And they have no idea who I _actually_ work for (or _live_ for, actually).

"All that, coupled with the information I obtained during a kidnapping job recently…" I finally make eye contact with Robin and the two other Titans, who were sitting at the back next to a computer that seemed to match Cyborg. They all either cringed or balled their hands into fists as I so casually mentioned the green one. "…caused me to look closer at _Raven_."

As I said her name, it was as if the room got colder. I went from annoying to threatening just by saying her _name_. She was right; they don't like her here.

"…And what did I find? Missing, fugitive, hunted by the League? Well, I can certainly think of one _apocalyptic _scenario where all of that makes sense. And what are the odds that it would coincide with Darkseid second coming?"

Everyone's patience was wearing thin, and it's not wise to make enemies when you are outnumbered _this_ badly.

"So the solution is really quite simple. At _all_ costs, we turn one cosmic power against another. All you're left with is one weakened enemy and Darkseid's poorly led army. So tell me, why do you need me? Why haven't you secured this without me?"

The room was silent. No one typed. People barely breathed. I had found the thinnest ice possible, and decided to jump on it.

"We've tried. We've had no successful contact, and cannot find her unless she wishes to be found. We already exhausted all of our options involving Raven; you're here because we need help with _other_ options." Superman stated. I nodded and let the topic drop, and things began to resume around me.

Eventually, I found something to do. Batman and Flash were running an operation to gain supervillain's support and help for the actual battle against Darkseid, and wanted to use my name and contacts to further their plans. I relented, purely out of the foolish love for the ground usually beneath my feet, and soon found myself lost in my work.

Late that night, I had finally found a good place to stop and left to find the quarters I had been allotted. I was assured that my room would be free of bugs or observation devices, but I still took thirty minutes to sweep it. I couldn't risk them intercepting anything I was about to send.

The room had a console that I used to log onto an anonymous server that I used for communications. The sight would convert whatever message I wished to send into any form I needed, and could then anonymously send to any device on the planet.

_We need to speak. Immediately. _

_Changeling too._

The message was short and contained little that would betray me if it _were_ intercepted. Anyone who found it would think I was conspiring with the person I delivered the Changeling to. Which I _was_, but no one knew that was Raven.

I sent the message to Raven's new communicator, and waited for a reply. She was typically quick with replies unless out of the reality, and she had said she hadn't planned to leave anytime soon. I grew impatient and frustrated with my wait, before finally receiving a similar anonymous message.

_Is it clear?_

Finally. I sent my reply.

_Yes. _

Ten seconds after I replied, one of her portals opened next to me, and I stepped through it without a second thought.

Once through, I looked at my new surroundings. I was at the Titan's Tower, in their living room, standing dead in the middle of the couch area. Sitting on the couch in front of me were both Raven and Beast Boy, who looked almost angry at my very presence. As if I had interrupted them from something.

"Ah, the Tower. You grow bold in your hiding places, I see. I have news that will undoubtedly interest you, my _lord_." I exaggerated the last part. It was a little game we had, putting a sour spin on our formalities to show that we did still resent each other. It's how people like us survive having to work together.

Both of their faces were slightly flushed (Raven's was difficult to notice, but the changeling's was not) and I detected a slight hitch in both of their breathing. On top of all that, their hair looked as if it had been quickly finger combed back into place after being messed up. All that, and the fact that they both seemed peeved at my very presence (more so than usual, at least) left me with one conclusion.

"I'm going to be sick. Did I interrupt something _between_ you two? Or, more specifically, _nothing_ between you two?"

Beast Boy's face turned as red as Raven's four eyes, which made an appearance.

"If you must know, we were making out, and I'd prefer to get back to it. If you hurry with your report, you won't have to watch…" she stated rather menacingly.

"Alright, don't have to tell me twice. The League is reducing its efforts in finding you. Turns out, Darkseid is on the brisk of invasion, and they're more worried about him. They've given up hope on using you against him, so I wouldn't expect many visits from them for a while…"

"Oh man…" the green one exclaimed under his breath.

"That's…certainly disturbing. Alright, I'll have to find out more for myself. Take Beast Boy back with you to the Tower; I'll be there on my own shortly…"

"Wait, you're not thinking of doing what I think you're doing, are you?" Beast Boy asked.

She nodded and opened a portal back for us. Before he could get up, she gave his hand a small squeeze (yech!).

We both walked through the portal, and we were right back into my quarters. Before I had a chance to send the changeling away, there was an angry, curt knock before the door slid open. The three Titans stood there with death glares, Robin leading the charge as always.

"Alright, Slade. They may not ask about you past jobs, but _we_ do! Where is…Beast Boy? What are you doing here?" Robin had been furious, but was extremely confused by the end of his tirade.

"…uh…" said changeling froze, leaving me to do the grunt work.

"He had just finished paying me for my services. Kidnappings are not easy ordeals, especially not from the Justice League's Tower. All for a lousy vacation at the beach; was it really worth all that trouble? Anyways, he was just _leaving_."

Beast Boy played along, and Cyborg and Starfire seemed to accept it. Neither seemed pleased that he made a deal with me, but were happy that he had returned. They departed, and Robin gave me an unsure glare before departing after them. I went to close my door, but before I could I heard Cyborg's arm beep frantically.

"Guys, you need to see this! There's been an alarmed tripped back home…I'm pulling up the security feeds now. All past data has been erased, but I've got live feeds going up…NOW."

Their eyes all went wide (and Beast Boy pretended to be shocked) as they saw who was sitting in their living room, having tea. Raven.

"Cyborg, does the League have these feeds?"

A loud voice came over the intercom of the JL Tower. "Teen Titans, report to the teleporter. Slade Wilson, report to the teleporter."

"Well, I guess that answers that, doesn't it?" I mocked as I ran past them down the hall.

We all arrived to find the League's more powerful, flight-capable, or magically inclined members preparing for teleportation. Batman was barking orders above all of the commotion.

"WE ARE NOT ALLOWING AN ESCAPE THIS TIME! ATTACK ON SIGHT, BUT WE ABSOLUTELY WANT HER ALIVE!"

After a few more moments of chaos, everyone was sent down in teams so that we'd fit. The biggest fighters were sent first, with the weaker ones as backup. We were all on the third and final team which wasn't meant to see combat anyways.

When we arrived in the living room, it had only been thirty second since the first group had gone down, yet it looked as if a war had already been waged. Numerous heroes lay sprawled on the floor unconscious. Every now and then some new hero was flung into a wall, and all of the windows had been shattered. However, the couch remained spotless where Raven and Beast Boy had sat earlier. She must have been keeping it clean for her own sentiment.

When she saw us, she feigned surprise and fear and took to the skies. Starfire grabbed Robin and myself and flew us after her, and Beast Boy took Cyborg; we were joined by at least half of our remaining forces, including all important leadership personnel that had come.

The flight was short, and ended at a location that caused the Titans to gasp (even Beast Boy): the old library, home of ex-Trigon's ex-portal. Raven disappeared inside, and everyone stopped in the main room to regroup.

"I'm still sensing that's she's here! We just need to go underground!" Someone shouted.

"Follow us!" Robin shouted, and he took off for the hidden entrance. It had already been opened, and the decent was _not_ infested with ghosts, much to my dismay. I had had such a good time watching the Titans handle those ghosts last time.

We eventually worked our way down to the portal room. The large had still had a spotlight shining down upon its palm, and in the middle of that light Raven stood with her back to us all. The other four Titans went up to the hand, while everyone else gathered around it, forming another wall around Raven. For a moment, though, the five Titans were allowed to speak without even thinking about everyone watching. For a moment, they were allowed to be their team again.

Without turning around, Raven spoke first.

"I'm tired of this. Tired of running, of being alone. Tired of fighting you. I know that there wasn't a better option, but I still feel like I went wrong somewhere." She started. I'm not sure if she's playing those watching (and the Titans) or if she is using this as a chance to be honest.

"Then you don't have to. We can figure this out; we've done it before. It won't be any different this time." Robin assured her.

Raven turned around, with her eyes slightly more watery than normal. Her gaze was soft and sad, and _scared_. Scared of what her friends would do, would think. This wasn't the first time she'd had to have come clean to them, but I doubt it makes it any easier.

"It _will_, Robin. You know it will. It's out of your hands; I don't blame you. I can't blame you. The last time this happened, I was just a portal…_his _pawn." She took her arm out of her cloak, revealing the red runes that had illuminated along her skin. She tucked her arm back underneath her cloak, again concealing all but her mouth. "But his time, I _am_ him."

Now, she tossed aside her cloak entirely. Her eyes had shifted into four, her skin had turned red, and her canine teeth sharpened until she almost looked vampiric. Her hair turned white, but stayed its original state, and her chakra glowed bright yellow. She had literally turned into her demon self, and it was almost disturbing how similar yet different she looked.

Around the room, everyone tensed, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"This isn't something we can beat, Robin. This isn't like the _last_ time I said that. There isn't anything we can do but comply, and I won't have my actions held against you."

The Titans, particularly Robin were stunned. There were no words that could express what they felt or thought, and they found themselves at a loss to help. Raven turned her head towards Zatanna, and nodded. In turn, Zatanna went behind Raven and prepared a spell that would knock Raven unconscious.

As Raven's eyes began to close, Beast Boy was there to catch her. The other Titans gathered around, and the last thing she saw was the four faces of her friends.

At least, that's what everyone thought they saw. From the corner of my eye, I saw a slight shifting in the corner as the _real_ Raven phased through the wall. All that was left was for the League to lock up the projection, and then Raven would have free roam throughout the JL Tower.

Raven must have outdid herself. Not even Dr. Fate had the slightest clue they had captured a puppet…


	5. A (not really) Caged Bird

Side Effects

Chapter 5

Cyborg's POV

Ugh, why can't I ever have a peaceful day working on the T-Car? It's been forever since I got to work on my baby, and who _knows_ what it could be missing during three weeks of no upgrades! All this business with Raven taking her father's power and running from the JL at the same time that Darkseid shows up is too confusing. And to top it all off, Slade is a leading member of the war council. I can't _wait_ to tell Robin what I found in here.

Of course, he _was_ the one who told me to sneak in here and find out what I could, but still, he's gonna blow a lid. I decided to use the second large round of interrogating _my little sis_ (I'm still quite bitter, in case you didn't know) to sneak into the server room undetected. That first large round of interrogation went nowhere fast, but it did make me a little proud of that girl. They used every trick in the book, and left with the same amount of info they came in with. Raven even seemed _smug_ about it; usually, talking about anything personal was hard for her, and her heritage was of the hardest. It's amazing how much she's grown.

The whole reason the JL failed at their interrogation was that they _interrogated _her. If Raven didn't want you to know something, you wouldn't know it; you had to get her to volunteer the information, which only Batman seemed to catch on to. He eventually settled down and had a civil discussion where Raven talked more than any other attempts combined, but they still didn't learn anything new.

Once I got out of the server room, I went to the teleporter and had them send me to the receiving area for Raven's chamber. They built it in a deep, top secret, underground facility that technically doesn't exist; they send you straight underground, so for all we know this could be cloud city. There isn't even a guarantee that the place in on earth. They sent me down without an issue, and Robin was waiting by the telepad.

He didn't look happy (not that he looked happy at all since this all started) but wore an expectant look.

"I found something interesting. You won't like it." I said with all certainty.

"Well, give it to me anyways."

I told him, and he agreed that he absolutely didn't like it. He went into the observation room and came back out with Star and BB, and had me repeat the info.

"So, you know how Slade is working for the League right now? Well, he's not getting paid in money. It's a very delicate deal, but he instead gets to use the Suicide Squad to take out rival mercenaries if—once—this Darkseid thing works out."

Beast Boy began to shout in outrage that he had been passed over for the job of Suicide Leader, but Robin muffled him from behind.

"Right. Sorry, secret meeting. My bad." The grass stain whispered sheepishly.

"So what do we do now?" Starfire asked. She sounded much less enthusiastic than usual, almost dialed back. I imagine all of this can't be easy; if I remember right, her powers work off of her feelings of freedom and such, so watching Raven in that room must be hard.

"We don't change anything. I'll have a few words with Batman _privately_, and we'll wait till after everything blows over to make any moves." Without so much as dismissing us, Robin walked away and went back to the room. We followed.

As I walked in, I noticed a very large crowd of the Justice League's upper echelon closely observing what was going on through the one-way glass. Currently, Batman and Dr. Fate were having one of the most civil (and probably most fruitful) discussions since the Bat's first talk. The room was plenty wide enough and we four slipped to the far right side of the room. The whole set up was simple and contained should Raven try to escape: her room, which was laden with even more preventative symbols that the panic room from the last day on earth, was spacious and well lit. There was one door on the left side that opened to a similar room: it was a double lock, so League members could get in and out without risking Raven exploiting the gaps. Once that room locked down, a door opened that lead to a hallway and ultimately back in the observation room. There were no other exits.

Batman and Dr. Fate were trying to find out how Raven was able to escape so easily without leaving even the slightest trace. It was a question that had kept more than a few members of this room up at night (the magically inclined ones who knew how hard that was) and finding it was considered a top priority. Batman and Dr. Fate exited the room, and although Raven was free to wander or move around the room, still hadn't moved from her seat. Finally, Batman entered our area, with the same frustrated look he always had.

"None of this is working. Unless we have any bright ideas, we're going to have to use Diana's lasso, which I understand to be extremely painful to demons even at the touch."

The room was solemnly silent, until a low voice from the back of the room spoke up.

"You could try letting me talk to her _without_ any listeners. No prying ears and a familiar, repulsive face in front of her? Who wouldn't waste that chance to let loose some cryptic info?"

We all looked back, and Slade emerged from the shadow of the left corner.

"Not a chance in hell, Slade!" Robin barked, but no one else backed him. Eventually, everyone turned to Batman, and he weighed the options.

"Fine. You have to take someone in there to insure the legitimacy of your time, someone who wouldn't be lenient in light of the work you've done in the Darkseid effort. I'd suggest a Titan. Robin?"

Before Robin used the chance to say something he would regret, Slade spoke up.

"No, he'd give me an exaggerated report to see my neck wrung. Which only leaves one option…"

One? But there are three of us left!

"Indeed, Beast Boy it is." Batman replied. All eyes turned to the grass stain with varying degrees of surprise.

"Cyborg could record the whole thing, and Starfire's language hindrance could be used by Slade." Batman clarified.

BB went pale, and everyone waited for him to walk through the door. He slowly shuffled his way over, and Slade walked through the first sliding door behind him.

Beast Boy's POV

Okay, so I'm really not sure _how_ this worked out, but now Slade and I have been trusted to go 'interrogate' Raven without the League hearing any sound (or at least, it's supposed to be quiet). The real Raven was in the shadowy corner where Slade was because that was the best spot to watch the Justice League's members without arousing suspicion. The Raven in the room was only Raven's body, which apparently isn't supposed to be as creepy as it sounds. It all goes back to the Trigon powers thing, but her soul can survive without a body for as long as it wants, and can even _create_ a new copy of its body.

Yea. Creepy. Though that does give me some ideas…

Now, Slade gets to come in here and put on a big show, and I get to sit in the corner and watch. While this is supposed to be some huge, exciting ordeal, there isn't anything fun about this for me. A chance to speak to Raven? I've been doing that inter-mind-speaking-thingy the whole time. The thrill of an interrogation? There's nothing new to learn, and Raven wouldn't give it up anyways.

I literally get to stand in a corner and pretend that I'm interested and keeping Slade from "going too far." Ugh.

We walked in the room, and that's exactly what I did. I made sure it was with my back to the glass, just so no one would see my face. I was still a little concerned that they were secretly going to listen in; I'm not sure if Robin would force them to keep their word or want to hear every word Slade says. Heck, _I_ don't even trust the guy and I'm dating his supreme-overlord.

As soon as the doors closed, Slade began his interrogation. I hadn't had much intention on listening at all, but his first words made me freeze.

"Alright, since the sound is off, how's the plan to destroy the world coming?" Slade monotoned.

Raven's doppelganger—er, unused body?—cut her eyes at him, but didn't respond. I figured that she wouldn't say anything, since that would be the most believable thing.

_*Very funny, Slade, but I already confirmed that the audio is off. They can see us, though.*_ Raven's voice deadpanned in our heads. I've got to say, super strength would be awesome, but the ability to force my voice into someone's head? I could defeat _anyone_ just while arguing with Cyborg!

_^*Since we are here, shall we go over the plan once more?*^_ Slade asked.

I internally groaned. We had gone over this who knows how many times. Hopefully, _something_ will have changed. Not likely, though.

_*That won't be necessary, unless anything has changed. Have there been any developments in the Darkseid planning?*_

_^*Yes. Darkseid made contact last night, and told us his intentions. He's a very proud, very arrogant being, you know. He's decided that the League has shown how valuable earth can be; after he wipes out our forces, he intends to conquer and rule earth instead of wiping out all life. He even wants a neutral, non-hostile meeting between the heads-of-staff, almost like boxers tapping gloves before a fight. Unfortunately, I've run into a major roadblock in the preparations that we are voting on tonight; those idiots don't want to declare formal war on Darkseid, and that _limitation _could be disastrous to our chances.*^_

It was amazing how much Slade could tell us while shouting and yelling at the real Raven—Raven's body, sorry—and meanwhile I tripped and earned a trip to the infirmary because I was trying to blow a bubble with my gum.

_*How exclusive is that meeting tonight?*_ Raven asked.

_^*Only those who have a vote. Very heavily regulated.*^_ Slade answered.

_*Well, I'll make room for two more. Garfield, you feel like joining me?*_

I thought for a second. There were a few things that Raven could do that I wouldn't want to try: summoning a dragon (accidentally, if you remember Malchior), reading, eating meet, and using her 'soul' powers. Okay, so there are a lot more, but those in particular I say nae-nae.

_^How are we going to get in ther-?^_ I was cut off by Raven, who expected my question.

_*Soul traveling. I can put you to sleep and you'd never know that your body was lying helplessly somewhere!*_ She interjected.

_^Then nope. Good luck and all that but my soul stays _inside_ my body, thank you!^_

All talk stopped, and Slade took that as a sign to wrap things up. He ended with a few whispered threats in her—the other her's—ear, and walked out. I followed a little distantly behind, pausing to look back and make eye contact with Raven one more time. _That oughta sell it_. I sure hope so; Robin isn't exactly dumb, and neither is his mentor, so who knows if that worked.

Raven's POV

Surely enough, the interrogations ended after Slade's visit. I heard chatter of using Wonder Woman's lasso, which I'm not looking forward to, but that would wait until tomorrow. For now, they have me under full lockdown (they think) as they go off for their meeting. I moved my body over to the bed that Beast Boy and Starfire made them give me, and then opened the tiniest sliver of a portal that allowed my soul to travel to the Justice League's Tower, more specifically my usual dark corner in Garfield's room. I knew that everyone was just now getting back at the telepads, so his room was be abandoned making it a good place to reappear. My soulself stepped out of the portal, and phased through the ceiling on the way up to the war room.

Before inheriting Trigon's full power, my soulself couldn't survive outside my body for long, and was somewhat basic. My base form was a semi-transparent shadow of myself, with white eyes that I could conceal if need be. Now, it can do everything except be touched; I can alter the color of my soul until I look like my own twin, or copy anyone else's appearance. I can also use a simple spell to speak, giving a perfect illusion of a real person. In essence, my soul is my own ghost.

Eventually, I was able to find the war room party. They were in the process of locking down the war room and securing all essential members, in preparation for the most important part of their efforts to date. While the room was protected from magic, meaning I couldn't phase through the wall, I _could_ open a portal that looped through another dimension and opened back up in one of Slade's pockets (or anyone's for that matter; Slade just has one built for this purpose). Once inside, I took residence inside the crack between a light fixture and the ceiling it was built into, allowing me to remain completely hidden and see absolutely everything around the room.

As soon as everyone was ready, Batman spoke and the floor went silent. Everyone knew the magnitude of this decision.

"Alright, we all know why we're here. We all know what comes with a 'yes' and a 'no.' This is about whether we're declaring war on Darkseid, and what that _means_."

All the faces around the room looked very solemn, all except one mask with a single eye burning fiercely behind it.

"_THAT_ is not what this decision is about. This is about beggars trying to be choosers, when that simply isn't a reality we face. This is about whether or not we kill Darkseid, should we be given the chance. I don't understand why this is even an issue (my occupation aside); we should have declared war as soon as we found out he intended to attack us. And some of you don't _want_ Darkseid dead? Why, I would question your loyalty, personally. You all barely escaped last time, and you thought had died. Now that he's back, you want to make that mistake _again_?! Unbelievable! I understand that you are the good guys, the ones the world looks up to, but if you won't protect them by killing the greatest threat to the universe, then maybe you should find other lines of work." Slade's frustrated anger was easier to spot then Cyborg in an Amish village. However, Slade's next statement seemed like the cross between a threat, obvious solution, and even a deal being struck. He said it slowly, making every word count. "Or you let me do my job; _I_ will ensure that we have the best odds of beating this, and that this abomination will never return. When it's all said and done, _I_ will take any credit or blame that anyone wants to through around, and won't lose a night's sleep knowing that Darkseid's blood is on my hands."

Slade hesitantly relinquished the floor after having said all that he felt would be necessary, and we heard from one more person about 'protecting our humanity, even if we are not human.' While that is one of my greatest concerns about myself, it's definitely not the best idea here. If need be, I'll take care of this myself.

After the other speaker, _Superman_, finished, everyone was expected to vote. We went around the table, starting with Slade:

Slade—"Declare war, kill the bastard. It's not difficult."

Superman—"Banishment in a new dimension. If we kill now, we're only telling everyone that our beliefs are compromised."

Batman—"There's no way to know if we will even win. I don't want to hurt our chances. Declare war."

Aqua man—"I stand with my Kryptonian friend; this is not a message we need to send to the people."

Flash—"In the heat of the moment, anything can happen, but it we capture him? I'd rather not invoke this wrath of his ghost, personally. No war."

Hawkgirl—"Flash _actually_ made a good point. Executions shouldn't become our style."

Martian Manhunter—"I will not allow another home of mine be destroyed; war is inevitable anyways."

Robin (yes, after the fiasco last time, Robin was promoted to the War Room Council for this matter)—"How many times am I going to have to side with Slade? With as many deaths as he is responsible for, Darkseid needs to be culled."

Amanda Waller (current head of the Suicide Squad and Justice League liaison to the United Nations)—"Absolutely declare war. I'd rather he have died the first time."

Wonder Woman—"I agree with Superman. Killing someone now can only give the public a bad feeling towards us."

Green Lantern—"I hope for us to avoid killing as much as possible. If we declare war, that only tells everyone that we are prepared to be as ruthless as Darkseid; how would we be any better then?"

When all the votes were tallied, I couldn't believe it: they _actually_ decided not to kill Darkseid by a vote count of 6-5. I could sense fury radiating off of Slade, but I was unnerved at how calm he managed to appear. As if the vote didn't really matter to him. It was possible that it didn't, but it throws a large knot in my plan. I originally wanted to fight for the Justice League or escape and battle Darkseid during the fight. With my old power and Trigon's combined, I am more powerful than Darkseid on paper. How that translates to in a fight, I don't know, so I hoped to attack Darkseid after he had spent some energy fighting. Now, I was left to ponder more desperate options.

Before disbanding, the Council discussed the neutral meeting with Darkseid. All sweeps had shown that the dimension he wanted to meet in was clear, uninhabited, and survivable for all life forms with the Justice League. Eventually, it was decided that only Superman, Batman, and _Slade_ would go and meet, the rest staying back unless it was a trap.

While this may not be ideal, it does give me an idea. A very bold, risky idea, but one with major upside.

I opened a small portal and left, appearing just outside of Garfield's room. I reached out and let him know I was here, and he told me to come in; the _last_ thing I need right now is to for me to become distracted by the more _demonic_ urges that walking in unannounced could bring. Someday, though, who knows?

I phased through the wall, and found Garfield sitting on the bed playing a video game. He looked bored, but didn't pause the game for me.

"So how'd it go?" he asked.

"Not well. They voted against killing Darkseid, which means that my plans need some major altering. I do have an idea, though."

"Well, can I hear it?"

Suddenly, I got that paranoid feeling that we weren't alone. I couldn't pick up on anything, but I didn't feel secure anymore.

_*I've got to go. I think you're being watched. I'll come back tonight and tell you the plan, so it looks like you're asleep.*_

Before phasing out, I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. When you're touched by someone's soul, it feels cold, and as my ghost-lips ghosted his cheek, I could feel goosebumps run down his spine. As he shivered, he gave me a sarcastic glare that I've probably given him a thousand times, and I returned with a small, mischievous grin of my own.

NO POV—ONE DAY LATER

Zatanna and Dr. Fate opened the portal, and the three men stepped through. The portal was to be kept open the whole time, in case a retreat was necessary. Standing across from them was Darkseid, who seemingly stood alone. He stood as solid as a rock, and as threatening as can be imagined.

"Ah, so they _do_ have a sense of honor. Greetings, Superman. It has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Indeed, though not quite long enough" Superman replied while nodding.

"HA. Well, I'm afraid you will have to wait another week before a _full_ reunion is in order. Speaking of that, I want to speak with you about the battle that will no doubt ensue. I intend not do destroy humankind but to rule it, now that you all have shown me its worth. I don't expect you to consider surrendering; I know you'd rather die fighting, and I'll give you that chance. I wish for us to find a neutral location to battle, so that earth is not harmed by our clash."

Superman and Batman shared a look.

"Well, how does one even reply to your _thoughtfulness_? I have an idea—" Batman was cut off suddenly as the portal behind them closed. Suddenly, a large blue portal appeared overhead, and engulfed all four of them. When it was finished, they were standing on a very similar surface, only this time they weren't alone. They were surrounded by what appeared to be a massive army, but it formed a circle that was 100 yards from them in every direction.

The army didn't move, talk, or in any way establish its presence other than just _being _there.

Slowly, Slade reached to his side and found a belt floating there. Once he grasped it, he wrapped it around Superman's waist without warning, and hit a button that activated a release mechanism. The belt had been lined with kryptonite, and once released Superman collapsed onto his knees. The dose wasn't lethal, but it would reduce Superman to the sidelines as long as he wore it.

Before Batman could do anything, a small green monkey had materialized behind him and stolen his Utility Belt, only to vanish before he caught sight of it. In his initial confusion, Slade clamped a heavy-duty hand cuff onto one of Batman's wrists, then stuck the other end into a portal that had opened up. Another portal opened and the other side of the hand cuff suddenly jutted out and clamped Batman's other wrist. Now, Batman was handcuffed _through_ a portal, which is actually very headache-inducing if you think about the possibilities of handcuffs going _around_ reality instead between wrists. The portal expanded into a ball then encompassed Batman, and he was returned with the handcuff anomaly fixed.

Although Batman is no easy foe even when handcuffed, suddenly two green gorilla armed held Batman's legs from behind as Slade approached him. From out of another portal came some device, which Slade set up on the ground in front of Batman. When activated, it produced a powerful magnetic pull that kept Batman's handcuffs from moving, thus rendering the Caped Crusader stationary. The gorilla arms disappeared, and neither Batman nor Superman ever saw them.

"Apologies, gentlemen, but we just couldn't risk you interfering." Slade monotoned rather devilishly before he sat down in a seat that appeared next to them just before he fell over.

"Now comes the fun part." Mumbled Slade.

A cloaked figure arose out of the ground between them and Darkseid (who had had a great laugh watching the Justice League's greatest members be apprehended so easily), and immediately every soldier around them kneeled. The more the figure rose, the more the sky around them went from bleak gray to red, until it appeared as if that flat plane never existed. Before them all now was a world surrounded by fire and lava, with a permanently smoky sky. Not even the cloaked figure cared for this realm much, but it had its purpose.

Even all of the soldiers changed from identical foot soldiers to mighty beasts, no two of which were alike. Most of them were mainly mixtures of red and white, but there were the occasional blue, gray, and rare gold mixed in. The weapons that these monsters held looked like they were built to battle the supernatural, and each beast in this army seemed as if it would pose a threat to Superman on its own. And there weren't _just_ beasts. There were also what resembled knights, with massive armor, and warlocks brandishing powerful staffs. This army looked as if it could _punt_ the Justice League farther than Superman could jump, and the fact that they all bowed to the small cloaked figure in the middle meant one thing: this guy was a _**badass**_.

"Darkseid: welcome to my _reality_. Don't get comfy; I've reserved a special spot in Hell just for you…" The cloaked figure stated while throwing off the cloak at the end.

And just like that, standing there in full demonic form, stood Raven.

Darkseid became furious and charged, and Raven charged back.

What began wouldn't be the greatest _battle_ of all time, but it would have the highest stakes.


	6. Speak of the Devil

Side Effects

Chapter 6

Author's Note: I thought about making this chapter just what happens in the hours before the Darkseid fight to mess with y'all, but I'm only at 18 reviews so I'm gonna include it. I wrote a One-shot called "Season Six, Episode 'One-shot'" about my take on the plot for the first episode of Season 6 (that we will never get). It's not long, so if you like extremely awkward and funny situations involving Cyborg accidently interrupting a BBRae makeout session, go check it out.

Robin's POV—T-Minus 22 Hours until Codename 'D-Meet'

After the war room voted not to execute Darkseid, many of us excused ourselves from the room. I took my leave and began walking, with a pressing need to clear my head. So much had happened really that no one had really gotten a good chance to stop and think things through. It's not every day that you come across someone powerful enough to enslave the world, and the odds that Darkseid would show up right after that? Unbelievable.

Ugh, it just seemed so _coincidental_, and I don't like those. But I can't put a connection to it. I can't even come close to connecting Raven's ascension to power and Darkseid's resurgence.

I aimlessly walked through the League's Tower, hoping to find some place to clear my head. Really, anywhere quiet would do, but I kinda had a place in mind. I walked around until I found myself on the observation deck. At the very back of the floor, there was a secondary glass viewport that was tactically useless and mainly used for stargazing. I found myself standing there, staring at wherever the port was pointed at, currently the Earth.

"Doesn't make sense, does it?" A voice from my left came. I didn't even need to know the voice to know who it belonged to: this whole situation seemed familiar. Batman stepped forward until I could see him out of the corner of my eye.

"…No. Nothing does anymore. The timing of it all, _Slade_, the fact that no one else seems put off about this. There are just too many moving pieces and everyone acts like nothing is wrong."

Batman didn't reply immediately. I could tell that he seemed suspicious as well.

"I'd put money that Slade's presence is what most makes you uneasy…" I nodded in reply, and Batman continued. "…And I saw that someone recently viewed Slade's contract, so I know that you know. The Suicide Squad…" he trailed off, waiting for me to pick up.

"…Yea, that. Part of me wonders what the heck everyone was thinking, then the other part of me remembers that he'll be working with _Amanda_ and I take pity on Slade…"

Batman let out a short chuckle. He's never had a half-way decent meeting with Amanda Waller; I don't think anyone has.

"There's too much for any one of us to focus on. That's why I want to speak with you. Too many things are going on for us both to contribute _and_ play detective. I want you to focus more on that second part…see if you can find anything, start checking leads you skipped over, and look at things in a different way. A lot has changed in a short amount of time, so you can't trust everything you thought you knew…"

I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled it via a long sigh.

"Any ideas where to start?" I asked.

"None whatsoever." He replied as I cringed. "But I trust that you will find something. You've surprised me more than once since you formed your team."

And with that, he walked off, as if I was ready to begin searching.

I wasn't. I'm not. I don't have any ideas, and our conversation has only left me with more to think on.

I decided to keep walking, in the hopes that my head would clear. In truth, I didn't know where I was going. I just aimlessly wondered.

One thing I had noticed about myself is that occasionally a part of my will know something that my mind has yet to latch onto yet. Rather than saying 'hey, idiot, here you go!' I'll find myself in some situation that will trigger a thought, and that will lead me to what I knew all along. Sometimes it's something small, like saying a certain phrase, but sometimes I've found myself staring at a news article that completes the puzzle I had worked on.

And sometimes I would literally find myself where I needed to be. Just like now.

As I was walking, I eventually decided to start over _again_. I thought back to everything, and tried to find even more discrepancies. I bounced around, usually concerning Slade and his activities, until I realized something: Slade kidnapped Beast Boy, and everyone just assumed that this was Slade auditioning for his current role. _I_ had even thought that, looking back, yet something was bothering me. After Slade took the job, Beast Boy returned as expected…but Beast Boy was trying to cover for _Slade_. It was a very obvious answer that Slade was putting on a show, but Beast Boy didn't seem to know anything about the offer and said something about a vacation, expecting us to believe that he _hired_ **Slade**. I'm not sure what's hardest to believe about that statement.

Why would Beast Boy cover for Slade?

Why would Beast Boy try to tell us it was _his _idea? Was it? Or is he covering for whose idea it _really_ is?

Who would Beast Boy cover for?

If Beast Boy didn't know about the 'audition,' then is he just a pawn that said the wrong thing?

Is Beast Boy being coerced into something? Has he been silently pleading for help, only to be ignored?

After the Beast Incident, I vowed to myself to never accuse my team without damning evidence. I even redefined 'damning evidence' considered I thought that I had more than enough to accuse Beast Boy of assaulting Raven.

Raven…does she factor into this? It does seem as if Raven is someone Beast Boy would cover for, but would he go this far? During her interrogations, Beast Boy didn't almost didn't react at all, and I assumed he was lost in thought like the rest of us. What if he wasn't?

Does Slade have some sort of scheme running? Is he using Darkseid as a cover? What could he have on Beast Boy to earn his trust? Does he have something against Raven too? If he did, he could have used that interrogation time for anything, since Beast Boy and Raven were the only ones who could hear; I made sure of that part myself as a display of trust to my Titans.

I looked up, half-wondering how I haven't managed to trip or run into something. I don't remember even my last two steps!

And wouldn't you know it, I'm standing at door 7-22, more commonly known as the _room where Beast Boy is staying_. Funny how I ended up here, isn't it?

At our Tower, I observe the 'Privacy and Trust' rules that we all voted on (mainly to stop Garfield from snooping); basically, no one can enter without permission. I stood outside the door listening, and could faintly hear someone talking, though I couldn't make out anything else; I just know that it _wasn't_ Beast Boy. Normally at the Tower, I would knock then manually override the door (because I can't follow _all _the rules). However, we aren't at our Tower, are we?

And I already know a trick to open any door.

I already hated myself for what I was about to put Beast Boy through, considering last time I was dead wrong with him, but I knew that anything he could give up would help tremendously.

As soon as I got the door open, I practically leaped into the room. Beast Boy jumped out of fright and had a mini spasm.

"GAH! UH, uh, _Robin_! W-what are you doing here…in my room?" He asked with that sheepish grin his gives when he knows he's been caught.

"Enough games, Beast Boy. I don't like what I've just found out. I'm giving you this last chance to come clean…" I bluffed. Everyone knew that Beast Boy was the easiest to crack, but not everyone considered what his upbringing with Mento meant. While everyone assumed that he was a horrible liar, that wasn't necessarily true. Everyone also assumed he was a horrible leader and was incapable of being serious, yet he led the come-from-behind victory over The Brain's plot. I usually work with the assumption that, when things become dyer enough, Beast Boy is capable of much more than suspected.

"W-w-w-what? I don't…..GAH! Who am I kidding! Your stupid bat-training! I'm surprised you didn't figure it out before me!"

I gave him a stern look that said 'go on' and he groaned.

"Aww, you're actually gonna make me confess!? I feel like I've been caught stealing a cookie…"

I _still _gave him the look.

"Fine. What do you want me to tell you?"

Now was my chance. Since I didn't _actually_ know the story, he could take a chance at making something up and I wouldn't be able to confirm it. I could, however, give him an idea of what I know, and let him fill in the blanks in a certain area. And I know a perfect area.

"How does Slade fit into all of this? You said that _you _hired him to kidnap you? Why?"

His posture slumped, at it looked like he knew that what I asked could expose everything.

God, I hope he isn't involved with so much that he feels that he's a part of it.

"Fine. I guess you figured out about us, didn't you?" He asked. Before I could stop myself, I let just a sliver of confusion cross my face. Us? What us?

He picked up on that confusion, and I knew that this had just taken a turn against me.

"You DON'T?! Gosh, I thought you were a detective and all. Like, I'm not even that sneaky about it. I bet even Cyborg could guess!" He exclaimed, seemingly elated that I hadn't apparently figured it out. It was almost as if he seemed overjoyed that he knew something I didn't, and it almost felt like it was something minor.

I hope it is, but he said he wasn't even sneaky? Was he blatantly stooping around, or something?

"_OH MAN_! YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE! I THINK YOU JUST SLIPPED A GEAR IN YOUR HEAD OR SOMETHING!" Now, he was in hysterics, and he even laughed so hard that he slipped off the bed, and didn't notice.

Every second that he laughed grated on my patience. Now I know what it feels like to be Raven, I guess.

Except for the whole 'demon' stuff.

Just this part seems pretty bad, though; dealing with Beast Boy.

"You've had your fun. Care to enlighten me?" I asked.

He began to come back down to a realistic level, and began wiping tears from his eyes. He had really lost himself in that one.

It crossed my mind that if Raven had laughed _that _hard, the Tower may have exploded. Or possibly the world. Or maybe nothing, now that everything is supposed to be 'contained.' _Just one more thing that I don't know_.

"Okay, okay. Fine. You seriously don't know? Raven and I are _dating_…" he trailed off.

It took me a few seconds to comprehend what he just said.

No, scratch that. I have no _clue_ what he just said.

"Hello, did you hear me? Is it really _that _shocking that I'm capable of winning Raven over?" He asked idly.

"Yes. It is…but that does explain things. Was this way she accepted Trigon's power? She needed more control for a relationship?"

"Yea, you could say that. Most just say that I'm too overwhelming and she needed back-up." He said with an obvious hint of sarcasm and a dumb grin on his face. He was really enjoying all of this.

That would explain the power surge, and why she deemed it so important to accept what she feared. She must love him; I doubted that _anything_ could have made her do that.

And that would explain the distant look on his face during the interrogations: he was trying to distract himself so he wouldn't have to watch. I can image that would be pretty painful.

That only left one question he could help with.

"Then why have Slade kidnap you? What did that accomplish?"

He nervously (and guiltily) scratched the back of his head, as if he knew he had been caught once again with his hand in the cookie jar.

Actually, the whole thing with Raven isn't a 'hand in the cookie jar' kind of ordeal. That's more like opening Pandora's Box, only to have Pandora's Box then accept Trigon's power.

"Uh, because that's what couples do, right?" He tried to make a joke; it wasn't that funny, but it wasn't as bad as usual.

"No. But you're saying that all of that was to meet up with Raven?"

Makes sense, I guess. She was on the lamb, so the only people she could trust were people that couldn't normally be trusted. But still, Slade?

"Yea. I kinda made up the vacation part…wait, no, that still actually makes sense! It just was Raven's idea, and I couldn't _say_ that so I took the blame for myself…"

"How did she get Slade to help?" I asked quickly.

Beast Boy actually _rolled_ his eyes at me. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"Of course, _that's_ what got your attention. Not the newest celebrity power couple!" He said with a grin, enjoying a jab at me and a compliment to himself. I'm sure he thought it was clever, but my mind stuck on how it literally would be a 'power' couple now. "Apparently, there's this thing called the internet. She put a kidnapping hit out on me, and Slade was the only one to reply. Most people don't want to invade the Justice League's own Tower…"

I stopped listening to him, and slowly the pieces started to mold in my mind. Of course he wouldn't become invested in any plot. This actually helps a lot, since this means that Raven truly doesn't have any intention of coinciding her 'upgrades' with Darkseid. Now, I just need to focus on Slade. From what Beast Boy just told me, it sounds like his does have his own agenda. Go figure…

"That puts my mind at ease. A little, but it helps. Heard anything about what Slade's intentions are?" I asked, now looking for an excuse to leave. I feel silly for _again_ suspecting Garfield, and I don't want him to bring that up at all. There's no telling if that has even crossed his mind, by Cyborg and Starfire are going to have a field day with this.

Raven would too if she weren't preoccupied.

"Nah. I think he's just saving that Squad stuff for a rainy day…"

"That's what I'm afraid of. Thanks for the honesty, Garfield. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." I said none-too-quickly as I walked out.

Once I was in the hallway, I let out a sigh of relief. That talk really smoothed things over, and I already feel much better about everything.

_At least my team isn't involved_. It surprised me how much that comforted me.

POV BREAK (BEAST BOY'S POV)

Robin walked out, and once he left I flopped back on my bed and gave a huge sigh of relief.

_Man, was that ever close. _I mentally made a note to thank Mento for teaching me how to lie and to thank Raven for letting me practice lying (not that it ever worked, but if I practiced on _Raven_, who could be any harder?).

_At least he accepted my story. I don't know what would have happened if he had figured out that Slade's entire involvement with the League was Raven's idea…_

POV BREAK (RAVEN'S POV)

One hour until the meet. That's all the time left, and everything has finally fallen into place. The last twenty or so hours have been extremely eventful, and things went from a minor tweak in the plan to major revisions for the near future.

It all started when I went snooping. All I needed were a few personnel files, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to see the Justice League's deepest secrets. Batman had always insisted that personnel files be stored away with the highest security, so once I got was I needed I was literally standing in a gold mine of secrets. It would almost be wrong not to open them.

I kept an open mind about everything, or at least I tried; this is the Justice League, so they have to possess some dark secrets. I had decided to let most anything slide, and check to satiate my curiosity, when I found a file that changed everything. By the time I finished it, I had already firmly decided that the Justice League could not be trusted, and that I needed to handle Darkseid without their help. With the press support they could get from winning a battle against Darkseid, they could easily spin the contents of this file in a favorable manner, when they were downright an overstep of power.

With the precious hours I had left, I knew I would need more than the few contacts I had gathered, and so I went back to Garfield. The takedown of the Brotherhood of Evil had made him a popular figure among all extended Titans, and he earned some very deep respect from many people. The type of respect that would have them choose Garfield over the entire Justice League.

They would make the type of allies I'm going to start needing.

I visited Beast Boy once again, and learned that Robin had stopped by and found out about our relationship. From what I can tell, Garfield did a good job of throwing Robin off of our scent; not that I'm worried about Robin…I trust that he would take our side, but I would like to avoid dragging him into this unless absolutely necessary.

When I told Beast Boy about what I had found, he was just as shocked as I was. While he seemed skeptical of my new plan, he agreed with it in the end. Nevermind the…methods…required to convince him. Let's just say that we were about of breathe afterwards, and that didn't have anything to do with talking…

So from that point until now, we've been contacting everyone I thought would be open to our idea, and then making visits to those who would hear me out. I had to be selective, since a lot of honorary Titans are already eyeing a career with the League and might sell me out given my fugitive status, but there were some that I knew I could trust. Jinx, and threw her Kid Flash, were already on board, and Beast Boy had already convinced Pantha and The Herald. He was still trying to get a hold of Jericho, but he wouldn't be as helpful until _after_ we took out Darkseid.

Eventually, Garfield _insisted_ that I go back to my cell and get some sleep, considering I was having an 'Ultra-heavy weight title fight' with Darkseid tomorrow. I eventually agreed, but not before asking him what he meant by calling me an 'ultra-heavy weight.' _That_ was a little mean of me, but _oh_ so fun.

When I woke up thirty minutes ago, I went and gathered everyone up and had them wait in an extra dimension (Garfield included). After making seven extra trips back and forth just to get everyone a snack and a chair, we had everyone assembled and standing by. We went over the tactics for the battle until I was sure that everyone was ready.

All in all, we had a pretty good squad. The Herald and Pantha had shown up as promised, and Argent even decided to join. Aqualad had wanted to, but was expected to meet with Aquaman and discuss defense strategies for Atlantis should Darkseid make it to the surface; Bumblebee was more than willing to take his place, and I was glad to have her long range capabilities. I would rather not have melee fighters try to take a shot at _Darkseid_, but I'm confident that I can keep everyone safe.

And then there was Jinx's crew. A little while back, on a whim, I followed Jinx around for a day and found out that she had been shoplifting small items from stores. When I confronted her about it, she was mortified and said that she missed the thrill of being even 'a little bit evil.' I decided to let her off, assuming she wouldn't do it again, and made a strong ally that day. When Jinx heard my offer, she didn't only join, but reached out and convinced Mammoth and Gizmo to join. Mammoth and Gizmo were considered 'small time' and were released from their frozen containments in favor of a normal cell. When Jinx asked to bring them in, I decided that it would be easy enough, and would bring the extra perk of having contacts from the _other_ side.

That was another strength of our group. Between Gizmo and Mammoth's villain connections and Aqualad and Bumblebee's Titan's East influence, we had the potential to really expand if need be—_when_ need be.

And unfortunately, that _when_ will probably right after the whole Darkseid thing blows over.

SCENE BREAK

Everything had gone off without a hitch. Slade and Beast Boy neutralized Batman and Superman, and we were now in my main realm. Trigon had thousands of dimensions within the reality that he dominated, but this was considered his main one. This is where he made his throne, and where his greatest fighters made their beds. This realm is where Trigon first started, and it is where his power was greatest. It follows that the same would apply to my power, now. I donned my full demonic form, and prepared myself for what came next.

I rose from the ground, revealed my identity (by losing my cape), and gave Darkseid a rather ominous welcome. And just like that, the battle started.

We charged at each, and his fist collided with a black fist of my own magic. I teleported behind him, and gave him a roundhouse to the back of the head that I enhanced with my powers. He was knocked slightly off balance, and stepped forward to plant his foot in the ground, then used the plant to spin around elbow first. Using the height disadvantage I had, I ducked under the attack and returned with an uppercut that sent him reeling backwards.

As he collected himself, I summoned my 'Spirit Armor.' It was something that Garfield envied with every fiber of his being as soon as he saw it. Red, glowing armor that matched my eyes appeared around my body. Spirit Armor is something only angels and demons have, and its abilities are unrivaled. In addition to the Armor, I summoned one of the many weapons that Trigon crafted for me, should I ever accept my heritage. I don't think that his is how he envisioned they would be used, but their power boggles even my mind and they were crafted to meld with my demonic form. The first weapon I decided on was a magical staff, headed by an abnormally large Sapphire.

Now, I held a significant advantage in the fight: I had come here prepared to fight, and moved everything to my own home turf. Darkseid didn't even have a weapon, and had no contingency plan. I decided to press my advantage.

I charged him, letting my mind meld with my staff to see what possibilities could arise. It was as if the staff was a part of my being, and I could summon magic through it as easily as I could through my own hand. I swiped at Darkseid with the staff, and he put his arms up to block the sideways jab. Although I enhanced the impact significantly with my power, Darkseid blocked the blow without wavering. I opened a portal behind Darkseid, and went for a low jab with the staff. Darkseid swatted it into the ground, leaving me exposed, and landed a punched squarely in the center of my chest, sending me flying backwards. I caught myself partway through and slid back the rest of the way, and one of Bumblebee's rays came through the portal and hit Darkseid in the back of the head, utterly distracting him.

I quickly teleported in front of Darkseid without his knowing, and prepared another attack.

_I sure wish I had something with a little more blunt force_. Before I knew it, magic had encased the head of my staff, forming a massive hammer. _Well, that'll work_.

I swung at an upwards diagonal angle, and caught Darkseid clean across the side of the head. The impact was jarring even to deal, and Darkseid stumbled backwards dazed. I knew that a being who could go 10 rounds with Superman wouldn't be distracted with a single blow for long, so I quickly went for another strike, this time connecting with the side of his arm. The next two swings both landed across his face, and Darkseid began stumbling backwards blindly.

_That was nice, but I could use something a little sharper_. As I suspected, my staff shifted its coating into that of a sword. _Nice, but not quite iconic. What else you got?...Oh, that's perfect_.

My staff changed into a three-pronged trident. The devil's weapon.

How perfect.

I jabbed into Darkseid's waist, then swiped across his face with the butt of the weapon quickly afterwards. Darkseid stumbled back out of range, then steadied himself. I opened two portals behind him, and both Pantha and The Beast simultaneously landed blows on Darkseid's back before disappearing again. I had thought that this would be enough to distract him, but the same trick didn't work twice and he was already upon me. I reacted, but he knocked my weapon away before I was clear of his attack. From there, he made sure to keep me close, and just like that I was having a fistfight with the strongest being known to this reality.

"You think I don't know where I am, or who you are, _daughter of Trigon_!?" He grunted as he brought his fists down on the ground where I had just been standing. I rolled between his legs and intended to land a blow on his back, but he kicked backwards and I again had to dodge his attacks.

"Then you know that you don't have a chance of success. There's no way you find a way out of here alive!" I shouted back. His scowl increased, and so did the speed of our fight. I was steadily being outpaced, until he had maneuvered me on the ground directly in front of him as he brought his fists down. Until now, I liked to think that I was fighting fair by keeping engagements close and using minimal portals.

But I'd much rather win easily then die fair. As he brought his fists down, I opened a portal between us that opened just above his head. While he thought he was going to embed me into the rock floor, he instead give himself a mighty bash on the head. Simultaneously, I had focused an extreme amount of energy into my hands, and when his blow landed on his own head, I double-palm struck his abdomen, focusing all of that energy into an extremely powerful blast that sent Darkseid flying up and back, and the recoil of which threw me straight into the ground.

I picked myself up off the dirt, and looked ahead to where Darkseid had skidded to a stop, 50 yards away. He struggled up to one knee, and once I saw where my blow had landed I knew why I felt so drained: that one blow contained so much magical power that I blew a round hole as wide as my double-palm move in the lower right part of his stomach where I had struck. For a being as large as Darkseid, this wasn't an immediate fatal blow, but that didn't some serious damage.

I decided it was time, and opened a large portal near Batman and Superman where all of my allies stepped out to watch.

I prepared the spell in my head. What I was preparing to do was something reserved only to demons; it's just part of what makes a demon a demon. I was literally about to rip his soul out, and send it to its own personal corner of Hell.

I'm not even exaggerating in the slightest. It's a spell that has no words, because if it did then some non-demon might learn the spell. I was going to perform an extremely rare version of the spell, one that only two beings had ever pulled off: Trigon, and the Master of all Demons. This spell required a special weapon to help bring it to fruition, and I found it in the deepest corners of Trigon's vaults.

This version of the spell would send the target's soul to one of the last few uninhabited 100 Hell Dimensions. 100 dimensions per reality are set aside as realms of Hell, and in this reality 92 are occupied. Most hold condemned souls, but 10 are reserved for powerful beings. Another 3 hold one being who was too powerful to be put with others. I was about to make that 4. But the special part of this spell, was that I would kill Darkseid's body and absorb all of his power. It wouldn't cause any physical changes, but it would convert his power into magical power that I would then commandeer. That is why I had battled him for so long, and why it would work now that he has a hole bigger than a bowling ball in his chest. With Darkseid severely weakened, now is the perfect time to condemn him to Hell and take his power.

And of course, that means I get to say a pretty cool line. I slowly walked towards Darkseid, and it took until I was 8 yards away before he could finally stand up, though he looked unstable. _Understandable. That doesn't look fun_. I reached my hand out to the side, as if grabbing something handed to me, and the weapon needed for the spell appeared in it. The weapon literally hummed in my hand, and it invoked the strangest sensation: it felt warm, but also radiated death at the same time. The weapon had its own gloomy sheen to it, and being a magical weapon it would grow or shrink to fit whoever holds it.

The one thing about the weapon that was constant was its form: a scythe with a black rod and a silver-colored blade.

A scythe: the grim reaper's weapon.

_THE_ Scythe: _THE GRIM REAPER'S WEAPON_. The one from lore, told in stories to scare children. There is only one of these throughout all realities, because its power is too great. The ability to absorb power via killing? This weapon would render a mass-murderer unstoppable.

It already _did_ render a mass-murder unstoppable. How do you think Trigon became the most powerful being in our realities? This scythe that I hold in my hands.

As I walked towards Darkseid, he tried to focus on my weapon. As the realization dawned on him, I took the opportunity to revel in my victory.

"You recognize this, don't you?" I asked in my demonic voice. Darkseid's horror only grew.

"That's…that's not possible. I've looked for that in my quest…it shouldn't exist, not _here_. How…how long has he had it?"

I shrugged. "Don't know, but it was one _Hell_ of an inheritance. As if all of this wasn't good enough…" I gestured to the world surrounding us.

"So…that's how it's going to be, isn't it? You drew me here for my power. What next, Superman? Or are you planning on becoming a very busy executioner for your perfect world?"

As I approached him, I swooped low with the Scythe and placed deep cuts on the back of his calves. He was already struggling to stay upright, so this caused him to fall on his knees in front of me.

I made sure he looked up at me, and I looked him deep in the eyes. I could feel how bright my four red eyes had grown, and I could see their reflection in Darkseid's own stony eyes.

"Next? You shouldn't worry about next. You leave that to me…you don't _have_ a next.

"Actually, I take that back. Your soul has a next, but you're not going to enjoy that."

I rose the Scythe above my head.

"RAVEN! DON'T! HE'S NOT TO BE KILLED!" Batman had the gall to yell to me.

I lowered my Scythe, and Darkseid spat what I assumed was his equivalent of blood at the ground in front of me.

"HA HA. Go to hell, bitch!"

I had turned to walk away, but spun on a dime upon hearing those words. I brought the Scythe from the ground up, with the blade running straight through his chest and protruding far out his back. The Scythe began to violently glow white, and I could already feel power flowing into me.

"No, you." I told him in a low, dark tone of voice.

In a sudden flash of white, Darkseid's body was evaporated, cutting of a deep yell that had emanated from him during the transfer. The spell was complete, and I felt reinvigorated with Darkseid's power. While' I've never been trapped in a Hell realm, I can only imagine what Darkseid is going through right about now.

I turned around to see a bunch of scared, confused, angry, and astonished faces. And one confused but smug in a 'yea, that's _my_ girlfriend there' green face.

Suddenly, from the very back of the group, I saw Ardent slowly 'cross' herself like a Catholic. I wasn't sure if she was being funny or not.


	7. Angel Dust--Well, Demon Dust

Side Effects

Chapter 7

Author's Note: This chapter is a lot shorter than usual, but if I tried to continue it then I would have gone way over and probably delayed another week in posting it. So short, sweet, and uploaded quickly it is!

Robin's POV

The Tower was in utter chaos. Everyone knew that Batman, Superman, and Slade were going to meet Darkseid. _Everyone_ was on standby, should something happen. Everyone watched as Zatanna and Dr. Fate were able to open the portal.

Everyone watched as the portal was violently closed, and both Zatanna and Dr. Fate were launched backwards. And from there, pandemonium ensued.

Starfire and Cyborg were with the potential second wave of reinforcements, and I stayed with the War Council.

"What happened? How did we lose them?" Hawkgirl asked, with desperation and surprise in her voice.

Zatanna picked herself off the ground, and ran back to where the portal was. Dr. Fate soon joined her, and they frantically tried everything they could to reopen the portal.

"It's been sealed off! We can't get it back open!" Dr. Fate announced, with a hint of dread in his voice.

Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman both slammed fists on a table next to them, anger clearly boiling over.

"You mean to tell me why have no contact with our two most important members, and we don't even know why!?" Wonder Woman yelled.

Normally, someone would calm them down, but right now no one could think of the right things to say.

"What could went wrong?" Flash asked.

Everyone looked to Zatanna and Dr. Fate, and they acted as if they didn't know what to say.

"I don't know. It wouldn't have been easy to override the summoning spell for that portal, so this would have to be planned for a while…likely Darkseid's plan all along. He didn't want to risk another defeat, so he tries to cripple us before attacking." Green Lantern reasoned.

"I think Slade may somehow connect to this" I added. Everyone looked to me in a 'oh, the Boy Wonder is stuck on Slade again' way, but I wasn't deterred.

"His involvement doesn't make sense. He _wanted_ this position, even at the risk to his reputation? And instead of money, he's getting control of the _Suicide Squad_?!" I asked, incredulous.

"How do you—" Martian Manhunter started, before I cut him off.

"If it is on file, it isn't secret."

Instead of berating me for having classified info, everyone's attentions again shifted to scrambling to find a solution, leaving me to think.

I don't know how long I was in thought, but I know that I didn't make any progress before the portal suddenly reopened. Everyone flinched, and adopted a battle stance, anticipating Darkseid's attack. What came instead was _not_ expected.

Out of the portal walked Raven. She was wearing a basic pair of handcuffs that were essentially pointless, and was escorted by two very unhappy people in Superman and Batman. Slade was nowhere to be found, but no one even noticed that.

"Raven's agreed to a more formal talk…J'onn, get Etrigan here. We'll need the insight."

The room was utterly silent as J'onn made an emergency call and told Etrigan to await teleportation. In a few minutes, Etrigan walked in the door (apparently already having switched to his demon form) and Batman lead everyone to the roundtable room.

Once there, everyone took a seat. Raven sat at the head of the table (now with a much better pair of arm-locks) with a patch over her mouth to stop her from using verbal spells. Everyone knew this wouldn't help much if she wanted to escape, but no one objected to it.

Everyone else sat around the table, making the closest person to Raven (myself) three seats away. Opposite from Raven sat Etrigan, flanked by Zatanna and Dr. Fate.

Once everyone was settled, Batman started to regale what happened.

"We stepped through the portal, then it closed. Superman was attacked by Slade, who subdued him with kryptonite. I would have fought back, but some…force…hit me from behind and arm-locked me before I could fight back. All of us, including Darkseid, were transported to Raven's _homeworld_ (not Azarath, either) where we were surrounded by a massive army. When I say massive, I mean the combined forces of all Earth's metahumans wouldn't be nearly enough.

"Raven appeared, and battled Darkseid using different otherworldly weapons. She killed him with a blow to the heart with a scythe."

All eyes, at one point or another, looking to Raven questioningly. It was really hard to tell, but I think she looked smug.

"With Darkseid gone, she sent her _allies_ home and brought us back here."

Batman finished, and everyone looked around nervously. Then suddenly, everyone was bursting with questions, some shouted and filled with anger, and others based simply out of curiosity.

After about thirty seconds, Etrigan became irritated with the hysteria and yelled over everyone.

"HEY! SHUT UP!" Once he had everyone's attention, he continued. "The best way to get to the center of this is to ask Raven directly, and force her to tell us the truth using Diana's lasso."

Raven's eyes widened, and everyone thought over Etrigan's statement. I interjected before people actually considered the idea.

"Are you crazy? All that will do is aggravate her, and she's here willingly! Isn't that supposed to be painful to demons?!"

Etrigan gave a smug smile, as if he was just waiting for this question.

"I have a solution to that. There is a drug, commonly used on earth, which has different effects on demons, who use it as a meditational drug. It slows the mind, causing thoughts to muddle and the brain to be less guarded; it also slows the body, helping achieve a perfect center. As a bonus, it also acts as a painkiller for both humans and demons."

Everyone shot glances around the room, unsure of but leaning towards this idea. Etrigan never broke eye contact with Raven, and he gave her a knowing look. Raven returned it.

"What do you say, Raven? You can remove the mouth cover." He said as he slid a syringe he happened to have with him towards Raven.

Raven's powers caught the syringe, and a black hand reached up to remove her cover.

"I will, on one condition. I want Beast Boy here, with me…" Raven replied.

Everyone looked back to Batman, who solemnly nodded. I wondered why Raven would chose to bring Garfield in now, but remembered that there are a lot of things different about their relationship.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Once opened, Beast Boy walked in and took a seat next to Raven.

Etrigan walked over to Raven, removed her arm-lock, and injected the contents of the syringe into her bloodstream.

Raven looked purely elated at first, as if the drug had taken effect immediately. He features displayed pure ecstasy, which slowly died down.

"God, I _love_ cocaine."

POV BREAK (Raven's POV)

This…hadn't been part of the plan. If I had known I could plan something like _this_, I would have. A while ago.

Although the dose was small, the effect of the cocaine was much more potent than usual. The last time I used this to meditate I was still half-demon. I didn't even feel the pain as the Lasso of Truth was slipped around my hands.

"Cocaine!? You gave her cocaine!?" Beast Boy's voice rang though my head. It sounded slightly distant, despite the fact that he was next to me.

"Relax, Garfield. It doesn't do the same thing to demons as it does to humans. It just slows me down and…_soothes_ everything…" I purred. I couldn't help myself; it had been far too long since I last did this.

"Raven, have you ever done this before?" Robin's voice echoed.

"Ab-so-_lut-_ely! It _is_ a meditative drug. Why do you think Jump City's drug trade went down so much? _I _took out so many crooks that the trade died off, but not before I established a stash."

I could already feel my thoughts beginning to muddle.

"Wow. Just when you think you know someone…" Robin trailed off, before being berated by Etrigan. Robin was told how the drug had no negative connotations or side effects for demons, and that he shouldn't be so harsh. It felt good having another demon here to watch my back.

"Batman, tell us again what happened, and spare no detail." Dr. Fate commanded, and Batman was more than willing to comply.

I zoned out. Even though it was a lose dose, the cocaine had already inhibited my mental process. I found myself asking a lot of questions, but not having the ability to answer them very often.

Did Robin mean anything from what he said? If he had known, would he ever have let me leave in the first place? Would he have even allowed me on the team? I only took half-doses! It's not like I'm evil or something.

But aren't I? Have I taken things too far? Am I evil just for accepting Trigon's power? I am a demon now…so I'm evil, right?

Is that why they fear me? Can they see something I can't? I thought that this transformation would allow me to stay the same, but what if all it did was enhance my evil side? Would I even know? Could I know, or could I have altered my ideas of right and wrong?

Am I still the same person? I can't be…I've done too much. I've ran from the Justice League, betrayed the Titans, dragged Garfield with me, associated with Slade more than once, attacked the Justice League with reservation, condemned Darkseid to his own Hell…would the old me have done any of this?

No. She wouldn't. She would wait back, watch what was happening, but never participate. I used to abhor using my darker powers. Now I don't even flinch, drawing on them even to make tea now.

And I stole Darkseid's soul. Literally, I stole all of his energy, and sent his spirit to Hell. That's something my father would have done. That's something I did with my father's weapon.

That's not what the old me would have done.

The question now isn't 'am I evil' but instead 'can I live with myself?' Can I stand to continue on as Trigon's heir? How long will this continue to work?

"Raven, how did you transport everyone to Trigon's reality? That's impossible!" Zatanna cried out. For some reason, it caught my attention and I was able to focus long enough to answer.

"I…_am_ a portal. That's why I was born. Why shouldn't I be able to go there?"

I looked around. Zatanna seemed suspicious, and Dr. Fate's body language suggested…I can't tell. It's too hard to think that much. Etrigan looked…smug. Like he had figured something out, and didn't feel inclined to share.

"Raven, where did you get the Scythe?" Etrigan asked. Again, that smug look was evident. He almost even looked proud.

"It…was my father's. It was stored away and guarded…closely."

"I see. Is this weapon…special?" he asked.

"Yes. Very much so." I responded. He had to know what it was.

He did. He was laughing hardily, and everyone was looking at him.

"Well, I am most impressed, Daughter of Trigon. That is a very coveted item; it would serve you well to guard it."

Everyone questioned Etrigan about the weapon, and how he knew of it. He reveled in the situation.

"Long ago, in ancient times, the Grim Reaper, or Death, walked the earth to collect souls. He used a powerful Scythe that allowed him to steal the power of anyone who died on its blade. It also sent their souls to hell. Since then, the Reaper has long since vanished, but rumors of his Scythe still remain. It appears Trigon used it to fuel his rise to power…"

"…and now Raven has it!" Dr. Fate finished.

I was suddenly distracted by a slight ache in my wrist, where the Lasso was tied. _The cocaine must be wearing off_.

I looked down at my other hand, and found it intertwined with Beast Boy's. Despite myself (and probably because of the cocaine), I smiled.

Can I live with what I am now? Maybe not alone. But I'm not, am I?

"Raven. What are your intentions regarding the Justice League, and humanity in general?" Superman asked. They had finally danced around long enough, and decided to ask me what they wanted to in the first place. This is why they gave me cocaine, so I would answer without thinking.

Too bad it is wearing off.

"I wish nothing but the best for humanity. That hasn't changed, and I haven't spent years with the Titans only to turn evil…"

Everyone visibly relaxed. Robin felt like he knew this answer, but still as glad to hear me say it.

The pain in my wrist is unbearable; the cocaine has completely worn off. Most don't know that for demons, there is no such this as withdraw from cocaine. Instead, when it wears off, the opposite affect occurs for a short while. Our minds are sharped, our senses heightened, and our reactions quickened.

"As for the Justice League, though, that depends entirely on your treatment of metahumans. I am not a fan of the Defense Integration of Metahumans Bill. I wonder how that's going to work now that Darkseid is gone…"

The room froze. Instead of icy glares, everyone looked as if they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They were stunned.

Well, most everyone. Robin didn't know what was going on, and Batman was the lone opponent of the Bill. Beast Boy had been lost for the last thirty minutes.

"What did you say?" Wonder Woman asked, with a deadly undertone.

"You heard me. Forcing metahumans to join the US Army for 'defense'? Yes, because no one will try and send them to attack anyone…"

"How do you know about that?" Superman asked angrily.

"I know a lot of things, like how much cocaine is enough to subdue me!" I shouted as I threw off the Lasso. Everyone had come out of their seats, but no one charged when they saw the Scythe in my hand. Etrigan visually shivered.

"You know what this is, so don't do anything stupid. I don't want to fight, and I won't. But if you pass this Bill, I won't be alone…"

I held the Scythe between myself and the rest of the League, and once I felt I had my point across I opened a portal, and Garfield and I left.

We reappeared in the League's server room. I looked around, but didn't see who I was looking for.

"Beast Boy, you are _positive_ that Cyborg agreed to help?"

"Yea, absolutely! He said that he would make a video making fun of that Bill and upload it whenever we were ready!"

"And did you tell him to meet us here?"

From behind us, Cyborg jumped out and scared us.

"BOOYAH!" he yelled, and I turned around ready to beat him to death with the nearest thing I could grab…which was Garfield, in the form of a cat.

"Whoa, hold on! Put the cat down, and let's talk!" Cyborg said before laughing. I begrudgingly put him down, but gave Cyborg a death glare. BB wasn't happy either.

"Is it ready?"

He nodded, and hit a button on a panel next to us. He brought up a screen on his communicator, and let us watch.

"This is playing on every monitor in the Tower, and I leaked a copy of the Bill online."

The video was a propaganda short detailing the dangers of forcing superheroes to work for the army. Cyborg had done his homework well, and provided plenty of background and evidence of government mishandles of power. The atomic bombs, the cold war, and the accidental creation of Slade Wilson.

"Great. Now, we need to get you out of here. If they find it was you who did this…"

"I'll be fine. Star thinks I'm in my room recharging, so you just gotta send me back there. Everything in here is untraceable."

Beast Boy gave Cyborg a high-five, and I gave him a small smile before sending him to his room. It felt good to be working with another Titan again, even if it was only for a short while. Who knows, maybe we will need a contact on the inside.

"So, now what do we do? Fight the Bill?"

I thought for a second, then opened a portal that would lead back to the safehouse.

"No, we'll let that run its course. If it passes, there will be a lot of heroes who will refuse to cooperate. We'll need to band them together, so until then we wait…and make connections."

We walked through the portal while holding hands (as soppy as that is, I couldn't say no).

"Well, I have an idea to pass the time." Garfield said, with a hint of mischievousness in his voice.

"What?" I asked, half expecting him to ask to make out _again_.

Not that I would mind.

"When was the last time you went to Nevermore?" He asked with a grin.


	8. The End of an Era and Rise of a Conflict

Side Effects

Chapter 8

Robin's POV

It's been two weeks since Raven and Beast Boy left, but it feels like much longer. A lot has happened, and I'm not sure how I feel about how things have ended up. Even without Darkseid to lead them, Darkseid's armies attacked earth. They spread out for maximum collateral damage, as revenge for Darkseid's death. We had no way to convince them that we weren't responsible, and the ensuing battle cost the lives of thousands of civilians. And then the politicians swooped in.

A mass tragedy, caused by the apparent inefficiency of the Justice League? It was the easiest wave to ride since 9/11. And they treated it the same. A 'national and international' tragedy…give me a break. You might as well say 'a national and international opportunity to increase governmental power.'

Surely enough, after only a week in which the media crucified the poor management of the Justice League, the Terrian Metahuman Impressment Act was on the floor of Congress. Co-written by Lex Luthor (who was wise to keep himself out of further debate), this bill sought to turn the Justice League of _America_ over to the United States Military. Because _that_ can't go wrong.

In essence, the bill took the freedom of choice away from some powerful individuals while allowing freedom to the big-wigs of the JL. The fact that this bill had almost everything delicately balanced only a week after the incident told me that Lex was planning this for a long time. I could see it in some of the League's eyes that they hated this bill, but the general public was frightened and through almost complete support behind this bill. Its two biggest catches were the words 'Terrian' and 'Metahuman.' Terrian meant that the military could only control people originally from earth, allowing aliens to act as ambassadors or willingly join the ranks. Metahuman meant that only people with certifiable superpowers were eligible for control, so 'normal' humans such as myself, Batman, or Green Arrow were free to choose.

At first, this was something most every superhero was wholeheartedly against. However, with time to think, many people began to switch views; Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl were from militant people, so it was natural for them to agree with this decision. Superman was—in layman's terms—a sucker for whatever the people wanted, and wouldn't dare go against them. Green Lantern's aren't allowed to participate in politics, and Flash didn't really seem to care either way. Martian Manhunter passively disagreed with the bill, but wouldn't oppose it.

The bill allowed for Justice League leadership to integrate with the military's command, meaning that now decisions would be made by generals by influenced by the League's former leaders.

I hated even the idea of the military controlling superheroes, but I can't deny the merit of the idea. The JL has been allowed to operate as an unsanctioned third-party without much oversight, and that sort of power is unhealthy for anyone to wield. But then again, would it be any better for the _military_ to control supers? What are they going to do, send Flash to take over Middle Eastern oil fields?

Hell, they might.

Either way, there is an opportunity for corruption. The Titans had plenty of issues with the League before, and as of right now the only member of the team who would be affected by this is Cyborg. We've had a few talks about it, and he seems surprisingly optimistic: apparently the chance to handle government tech makes up for anything they might have him do. In all probability, his combat opportunities would decrease as I know generals who would love to stick Cyborg in a weapons-advancement lab.

The biggest problem for me isn't the choice: it's the problems that the choice poses for others. There have already been heated discussions, and a few people have taken leave for a few days—we suspect that they are preparing a safehouse should something go awry.

I can already see what coming—I know Batman does too, and it greatly concerns both of us. Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen have already had private business meetings, and I'm certain that they've got some sort of game plan. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I can see everything moving that way. Raven already stormed out on the League, so her feelings are plain; there are bound to be others who resent this bill (should it pass, which it will), and they won't join willingly. I know that the transition is supposed to be a 'peaceful and respectable' one, but according to my contacts things are being prepared for the worst anyways. Including Slade's Suicide Squad.

Oh yes, hell froze over by the way, because the League welcome back 'Deathstroke' _again_. You would have thought that after he neutralized Batman and Superman during the Darkseid meeting, that they wouldn't be so kind. But no, he was sent to us in horrible shape as if he had his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Almost brought a smile to my face, especially when we found out that he had been double-crossed by Raven. By all means, I was having a good day at that point until the League decided he could be of use.

"_If he's truly pissed at Raven, he'll stick around and help until she shows herself again…"_

Freaking hell, let's put a vindictive Slade in charge of the Suicide Squad program! Not like he's hurt us once before…

Well, at least we're planning on using him as a fall-guy just in case things go wrong with the Suicide Squad. After that massive data leak (that I have a feeling that Raven and Cy had something to do with), the League was able to wipe some uber-sensitive files from the web before anyone could dig that deep. They thought they contained the Squad's secrets, but it never hurts to have a backup.

It seems like we've been having a lot of 'backups' no matter who you are, and that they've all been stretched to their limits recently.

I guess I shouldn't lose more sleep about Slade; I mean, he _is_ working with Amanda Waller now…

And that's how I've come to my decision. I won't give any opinion on the bill at all. '_Politics isn't my place'_ is what I'll say to anyone who asks. If—when—the bill passes, I'll join the military willingly and try to keep things from spiraling. Sort of a silent watcher.

And if this bill causes conflict? I suppose I'll stick to the side of the people, no matter how much it may hurt me to do so.

POV BREAK (BEAST BOY'S POV)

Overall, I'd say that these last two weeks haven't been bad at all. Well, at least for me. I found a genius nap-spot that Raven is yet to find, which is extremely rare considered all these new powers she's been trying out. I guess she never thought to look inside her _own _mind!

Yep, that's right! My secret hiding-place is Nevermore! Specifically, Timid or Knowledge's realms. Timid is so shy that all I have to do is morph into a cat or a dog, and she'll nervously huddle against me while I sleep. Occasionally, on better days for her, she will just stay up and scratch behind my ears! It may sound silly, but something about being a cat turns that sensation into pure ecstasy!

Okay, maybe not _pure_ ecstasy. Probably the stuff they give you once you're already hooked. But ecstasy nonetheless.

And then Knowledge is just quiet; all she does is read books in her library, so again the cat-nap technique works great. Lots of high shelves and odd boxes mean that, as a cat, the place is nap-city.

Aside from that, I spend time in the other realms too. Well, not _all_ the realms…there are a few I avoid in particular. *coughcough_Rage_coughcough*

But it really isn't that bad. Usually, whenever I show up they all flock to me. Even Rage likes to show up, and she's always willing to help me get some space if I'm being suffocated. I still can't get over how funny it would be if Cy found out just how much of a _celebrity_ I am here. I also can't get over my fear of Raven learning just how much time I spend here. She really isn't a fan of this. Talk about jealous.

I try to visit often, at least once every few days, because I feel bad for how alone the 'Emoticlones' are. Raven never visited very often before, and now that she doesn't struggle with her powers, she hasn't been back. So that means that I'm a celebrity in Raven's mind for _two _reasons: I'm the only visitor, and I happen to…uh, know…the owner.

Another reason that Raven hasn't really found my hiding spot yet is she's been so busy staying in contact with other heroes. That _stupid_ bill just got passed, which means there will be a two-month period for heroes to surrender to the military. Not that it matters to me, seeing as I'm already kickin' it on the run, but this is something that's tearing the superhero world apart.

And it is bad enough for the heroes, but any superpowered _villains_ that are caught are now technically prisoners of the military, meaning there are only three places to go from there: Suicide Squad, Guantanamo Bay's 'Super' Area, or the under-construction Lunar Max prison. If you think that people with start treating heroes bad, just wait till you hear how the villains are doing. They said that this was to deter Metahumans from breaking laws, but it seems like this bill is only going to cause problems.

Which is why I'm sitting next to Raven in the living room, which looks more like a war room. Across from us, on the only other couch that isn't covered in papers, sit Jinx and Kid Flash. For the most part, Raven and Jinx have been discussing potential allies and movements of AWOL heroes. There have been a lot of those recently. KF and I are sitting in on this because: A) we are dating Jinx and Raven respectively, and B) we have a decent amount of contacts that we can use.

"Alright, that's almost everything. Last thing I wanted to know about: the emergency plan…" Jinx really wasn't asking; it was a request, but Raven was more than willing to reply either way.

"Emergency plan? I think you just mean the plan, now. It's just a matter of when the Suicide Squad gets called into this. From what I'm still able to gather, there are a few hot targets that they are eyeing closely. There are still so many people rogue that they don't want to attack unless they know that someone is a direct threat."

"So you're certain that they will be called into action?" Kid Flash asked almost rhetorically.

"Absolutely. Only about 40% of the ex-Justice League have joined the USMF willingly. That leaves about 59% unaccounted for, and there is only two months to round these people up. What I fear is that instead of uniting against the USMF, there will just be multiple small bands of heroes that will fight against the world. There's no way this can be done if we've been divided."

"So what do you need us to keep doing?" Jinx asked.

"Lay low, keep your ear to the ground, and make sure you don't appear on their radar. We need to find out how many people we can expect to recruit when things go ugly. Jinx, you also might try contacting those 'fringe' criminals and see who all would hear us out…"

Jinx nodded and stood up, followed soon after by Kid Flash. Raven tried to get up to see them 'out' (really, to a portal), but I quickly morphed into a Ragdoll cat and sat right on her lap. Raven's annoyed huff made our guests laugh, and Raven waved them off towards the portal she had just created. They stepped through while saying goodbye, and once they were gone Raven shot me a death glare. She tried picking me up from her lap, but because Ragdoll cats are extremely lazy and flexible (they should be classified as liquids, really), I almost molded around her hand.

"Fine. You win." Raven huffed while summoning some book or another.

_*Do you think this will all work out for us?* _I asked through the mental link she created.

_^I don't know…I hope so. I don't know how much longer I can babysit you here…^_

POV BREAK (ROBIN'S POV)

Two months. Well, not quite two months. Tomorrow is the deadline for peaceful impression to the Unites States Metahuman Forces, and we currently only have about 65% of the old Justice League, and only 30% of the Honorary Titans.

In these two months, things went from looking bad to horrendous to cataclysmic. I've haven't focused as much on who is allying with who yet; I've been focused on working my way up the hiarchy of the USMF. Being Batman's first protégée, the military quickly decided that my talents were best suited for leading a squad. The fact that I established a network of superheroes before I was 20 also helped.

After two months, I've finally worked into a role that I've helped create: in essence, I'm a manager. I get to know the men, direct drills and workout for various teams, and stand as a silent guardian watching the squads. After a while, the head brass realized the potential value of my position, and I've been granted higher security access.

That's what I spent one month doing: learning the system from the inside out and getting promoted for it. After that, they want me to shift focus on 'potentials;' that is, those Metahumans who are on the run but are still potential assets. Given my history with detective work (which means my tracking of Slade), they think that having me work intel is a primary concern right now. All the better for my goals.

It didn't take me long to get notice for my work in this area either. All it took were a few good, insightful reports within the first week and my division's Director was already giving me more sensitive jobs to work on. I pulled some strings and found some key pieces of intel, and last week I was called into a group call with my Director and Amanda Waller herself. The talk we had was…interesting and disturbing.

"Robin. I'd wager that you already know what this is about…" Amanda started.

I kept my face neutral. Everything I've heard said that Amanda Waller is not someone to lose your cool in front of.

"The Suicide Squad. Tell me you aren't going after any of my friends." I answered sternly. My Director seemed surprised, more that I wasn't tucking my tail between my legs than that I was being disrespectful to a superior.

"Well, Cyborg's a star in the labs from what I hear, Starfire is an alien princess, and nobody has a damn clue where the other two are. I'd say their safe…" Amanda replied, in the only 'reassuring' way she could.

"…for now…" came a gravelly voice from the background. Waller shot a glare off to the side, where I now assumed Slade was. One of my hands instinctively made a fist.

"This call is about intel. The deadline is coming up, and it's obvious that there will be resistors. I've been instructed not to let any rebels to unite, which means I need to find a critical target for…elimination."

My eyes narrowed slightly. She wanted to kill someone, and from what it sounds like, it would have to be a former hero who is trying to unite other Metahumans against the USMF.

"The USMF was created rather hastily, without much thought of backlash. We don't want to make that mistake here. We want you to find a single, ideal target. Deliver a report to us by the deadline on who the best target is, why, and what could come of the operation. Any questions?"

Actually, I had a lot of questions, but I would save those for a different time.

I shook my head to indicate no, and my Director dismissed me.

I'm not dumb enough to think that whoever I pick will be the one killed, but I hate the situation this puts me in. I've decided that if I pick a fringe target, then they are not likely to agree with my assessment and I will have escaped the guilt of having to die.

However, that means I have to give a report detailing why we should kill a former Titan.

_Director; Waller: _

_It is my opinion that the most effective target is known as 'Speedy.' The protégée of Green Arrow, Speedy is also known as Red Arrow to some. Technically, Speedy is not currently a Metahuman, but his history with the Mira Kuru serum qualifies him as such if we really needed it to. This may seem like a stretch, but we are looking for influential targets._

_It is no secret that Speedy has a hot temper, and voices his displeasure as he pleases. Not only does this make for a bad team member, but he also is known to be against the idea of the USMF. Our intel suggests that he openly and blatantly encourages Metahumans to resist us, and his communications have spiked over the last few days, leading me to believe that he is coordinating something. _

That's it. Short and sweet. Off-books reports don't need to be lengthy, just direct. If anyone has a problems with the report, they'll ask you; you don't need a full explanation on paper. Nor do you need to sign it, because then it becomes an incriminating document against you.

I hand-delivered my report to the Director, and walked out while hiding a smug grin. They wanted my help, and I gave them good reasons to go after an obviously-horrible choice. I had won this battle.

ONE DAY LATER

All squads had stopped training, and had instead gathered around the TV sets. Breaking news had just come across the screen that I always have preset to the news. The headline read "SUPERHERO ASSASSINATED ?".

I was sick to my stomach the moment that the news came across the screen.

"I'm reporting live in downtown Boston where the former Titan known as 'Speedy' and 'Red Arrow' has been shot and killed by a sniper. Police have the surrounding areas closed off and are actively searching for the killer, but right now we haven't heard any news. I'm being told that Speedy was waiting at a café, likely meeting someone, and that was his reason for being in town. Let's take you back to our studio for more updates…"

The screen shifted to a news desk where a man and a woman both we ready to pick up.

"Thanks, Anna. Reports are coming in that the mysterious Suicide Squad mentioned in various reports from the Justice League's date leak could be involved, though those rumors do seem a stretch. This morning was the deadline for superheroes to join the USMF, but Speedy is a known human without powers and therefore is not required to sign up." The man stated.

"Yes, though there is some speculation that, since Red Arrow was an outspokenly…against…the formation of the USMF, he was considered an enemy, all of these reports have yet to cite any credible proof." The anchorwoman completed.

From there, the news started bringing in 'experts' to blow hot air until they could get an official report. Everyone continued to watch, but I found that I couldn't focus on what was being said until I overheard the name of our Director on the news.

"Alright, now we have an official statement in from one of the departmental Directors at the United States Metahuman Forces. The report says that the 'USMF is aware of the continued presence of a 'Suicide Squad' for overseas-only operations; as soon as this tragedy reached my ears, I was in contact with [name withheld] in charge of that program and [he/she] assured me that they had nothing to do with it. Red Arrow was not to be prosecuted on the grounds that he was not Metahuman, although he was monitored and known to be in contact with possible opponents of the USMF; it is out current working theory that these relations broke down and Speedy was killed during what he thought was a meeting in a public area.'"

I stayed to listen to the whole statement, brief as it was, before I quietly made tracks for the Director's office.

The door was open, despite the fact that he was on video-conference with someone.

He was expecting me. So was Amanda Waller, who was on the line.

"You want to tell me what the hell that was!?" I barked out.

The Director calmly stood and closed the door; my question was cleared jaded towards Amanda.

"You should know. That _was_ your suggestion, after all. I'm not certain why you would be surprised…" She responded. I could tell that she knew I intentionally chose a bad target, and it was almost like she was taunting me. "Director, leave us for a moment."

The Director nodded, and silently slipped out.

"I know what you were up to, Robin. It was obvious; I was surprised that you even turned a name in at all, until I realized that you were trying to leave me with worthless intel."

"Then why kill Speedy?" I asked, none too kindly.

"I'll be honest, I thought you had won this one. Of course Speedy was a pointless target, but right as I started to look into him, he got in way over his head. It was a rather odd coincidence, but when we started to directly monitor him we found out that he was contacting hot targets and attempting to set up a base in neutral countries."

"Speedy?" I asked, truly surprised.

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought, but since I did have a target recommendation, I decided to make an example of him. The police will find and release his activities, and this event will serve to reinforce our legitimacy. Your friend's death wasn't pointless, Robin." She assured me, not that she was helping.

"That doesn't help." I said, before walking away to clear my head. I walked right past the Director on my way out, without so much as an acknowledgement to him.

POV BREAK (SLADE'S POV)

_Enter_.

There, that should finish that. I arose from my chair, and walked to my kitchen. My right eye-socket had been itching recently, so I found my preferred salve and applied a little bit. This stuff is extremely rare, as the company went out of business a few years ago, so I had to raid a sad warehouse to get a crate of the stuff. I mean, a single security guard, and he was asleep. Almost beneath me, but I can't snipe anyone with an itch under my patch.

With that finished, I decided it was time for a small celebration. After all, I _did_ make the news (anonymously) and that meant it was time for a small splurge. Even bad guys eat snacks; a man's gotta eat.

I sat on my recliner, and turned on my rarely used television. In the glass on the table next to me rested my half-empty glass of Dr. Pepper, and I had a bag of chips in my lap.

"It is amazing how far science has come…" I mused aloud, "…that I can make my own, fresh batch of soda with the original cane sugar recipe and enjoy chips that taste curiously like Garlic and Cheese Bread."

I switched channels until I found the largest news channel I had access to.

"This just in: evidence leaked by an employee of the Suicide Squad program affirms that it was on the Squad's order to kill Red Arrow! Coming up in five, we reveal the exclusive evidence leaked directly to our Editor!"

Oh, good. I didn't miss my moment of glory. I really outdid myself this time, didn't I?

The news returned, and they started playing the video I sent them.

_The video is played from a POV camera, capturing whatever the user is facing. _

_One video screen has information and a picture of Speedy, and the rest of the monitors are split between camera feeds of and trackers on the members of the Squad._

"_Deadshot is in position." The cameraman's voice announces._

"_Dammit, Slade, I told you its protocol to use their Handle during missions." A stern, powerful-acting black woman replied._

"Director_, are you telling me that I'm going to jinx the mission?"_

"_Just do it, Mr. Wilson."_

"_Is it also protocol to assassinate an 18 year old kid on U.S. soil?" Mr. Wilson asked redundantly._

_The Director shot him a glare as if to say 'not the time,' and that was that. _

"_All agents report." Mr. Wilson voiced into a nearby microphone._

"_Marksman, in position. I have a shot."_

"_Driver, in position. Engine is running."_

"_Escort, in position. Escape route clear. I have eyes on the target, will confirm the kill."_

"_Good. Wait until Director Waller gives the Scorpio before firing." Mr. Wilson replied, then looked expectantly to Director Waller. _

_Here the video was paused and a label popped on-screen: "View discretion advised…the following footage is considered disturbing by most who have viewed it."_

_The video resumed, and Director Waller walked up to the central monitor. The view was from a camera attached to Marksman's rifle, and showed simulated cross-hairs for where Marksmen was aiming. Waller stared at the image of Speedy, who was casually reclining in his chair on the street-side patio of a café, before nodding to herself and turning on her microphone._

"_This is Director Waller, identification code [static covered the actual numbers]; you have Scorpio on target Red Arrow."_

"_Received." Replied Marksman_

_The next second, a gunshot echoed softly through the comms, and the feed shook slightly from the recoil. Speedy had been clearly caught between the eyes with the bullet: an undisputed kill-shot._

_The video faded as orders for extraction were being shouted._

Slade grinned in his chair. He had long-since finished his beverage, and his bag of chips was nearly empty.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day for the end of Waller…" He chuckled to himself at the irony of how he phrased that. It reminded him of ending the world which, he noted, was easier than taking down someone like _her_.


	9. Exposition Through Talk-Show

Side Effects

Chapter 9

Nightwing's POV

God, I _hate_ the press. If I ever find out who recommended that _I_ become the public face of the United States Metahuman Forces after the 'Waller incident,' I might just kill them. Because as soon as my name was thrown out there, the head brass decided that I was a perfect match. 'Years of handling the press in Jump while leading an effective team establish him as a perfect representative of what the USMF wants the public to see' was the line that did me in.

I agreed, mainly because it would give me more influence, if nothing else. It also means that I can't be killed by the USMF, should they ever want to. It never hurts to be prepared.

I brushed up on some politically ambiguous things to say in order to defend our assets, and assumed that I would field questions at your normal press releases. But oh no, when the media found out that _Robin_, just barely out of his teens, was going to talk to them, they went crazy.

And that's how I landed on a talk show, waiting backstage as they introduce me to the crowd. At least I was given a chance to pick which talk show I wanted to appear on. Being the protégée of Batman, I'm a fan of the old school in a lot of ways, including training and late-night talking heads.

"And welcome back ladies and gentlemen to the show; I'm David Letterman, and up next we have a special guest. Now, I've been told to say a lot of things about him, so tonight's Top Ten list is going to be Facts about our Guest!"

The crowd cheered for a few seconds, then sat back down. Everyone suspected that it would be someone important, but my appearance was supposed to be kept secret until the reveal; all anyone knows is that there will be a section on 'recent events.'

"Fact number 10: Although he does not have super powers, he is here tonight on behalf of the USMF! That's kinda odd, isn't it?"

The crowd booed a little when they heard 'USMF,' but Dave trudged on anyways.

"Number 9: This person is the only person to ever tell Batman that he is too 'happy!'"

That time, the crowd laughed and was obviously interested at the mention of The Bat.

"Number 8: Despite wearing a 'traffic cone' costume he has been contacted by Playgirl Magazine and the Superhero Sexy Calendar Organization!"

Despite myself, I laughed at that one. There weren't many people who knew that, but way back in the Titans' first year I got a 'feeler' letter. I've held that over BB and Cyborg for years, now.

"Number 7: Upon receiving that letter, his teammates photoshopped his face onto the cover of a gay porno magazine!"

To my horror, they even had the image and displayed it on the screen (killing the 'suspense,' but the crowd was in hysterics). The image was of two men in tights and suspenders with no shirts, with the back man obviously towering over the smaller man; my face was imposed on the smaller man's body, and the other man had Batman's masked head.

There is only one Titan capable of working a computer that well, and something tells me that—

"How you doing, Rob?" Cyborg put his arm around me; I jumped, both being surprised at not hearing him and on edge after that picture was released.

"You son of a b—"

"Number 6: Robin is so cool that he was once left Titans Tower for a few days, and came back to find the other four titans all cosplaying in his own uniforms while eating pizza!"

Again, an image was shown to the crowd, and the laughter almost never stopped.

"I like the new outfit... black and blue; you trying to give bad guys a hint or something?"

I shrugged, as that was not intended but I hadn't thought of it.

"No. Just felt the time was right for a change…"

"Number 5: Robin once led the Teen Titans against Godzilla and lost. Fortunately, Mothra and Bat(Man)ra showed up in time to save the day!"

A few of the crowd's older crowd snickered at the fabricated filler joke.

"That's a stretch. It wasn't _actually_ Godzilla…" Cyborg mused.

"Number 4: The Teen Titans once ended the world. Fortunately for the old folk like me, they got bored and undid it so they wouldn't have to make their own pizza!"

That one received mixed responses of laughter and boos, to which Dave replied with "Aww, come on, that's a good one!"

That one made Cy and I go stiff; the whole Trigon Incident was part of the data leak. If Cy didn't know about that fact but created some of the others, who put this list together?

"Number 3: An old man once stole Robin's youth, but gave it back when he found out that Robin was no fun!"

Cyborg gave me a big elbow nudge for that one.

"Yea, I wrote that one!" He prodded while giving me a big grin.

"Number 2: Yes, Robin and Starfire _are_ officially a Thing…" Massive cheers erupted from the crowd, before Dave calmed them down enough to continue, "…but if he performs like an old man then who knows how long _that'll_ last!"

The crowd just about died from laughing so hard. Tears were shed both in the audience, and right next to me.

"OH, man, you should see the look on your face!" Cyborg finally wheezed out. Even being half robotic, he was _still_ struggling to breathe!

I cut my eyes to Cyborg, trying not to give him the satisfaction of making me move my head.

"And lastly, NUMBER ONE: He is no longer 'Robin.' He's here tonight to announce to the world that he is officially changing into…NIGHTWING!"

That was my cue, and I walked out on the stage and waved, just like they told me to. The crowd cheered, Dave laughed, and I found my seat next to him, with a third seat still open.

After a few minutes of Dave and I bantering back and forth to show the audience that I _can_ be funny (the lines were written for me), things began to wind down and Dave shifted gears.

"Well, I know our audience has certainly had fun, but I understand that you are here—or you're supposed to be, anyways—to answer questions about all that's been happening lately with, uh…Superheroes…"

"What do you mean? I actually have to work tonight? They didn't just want me on TV?" I improvised, displaying the sarcasm that must have rubbed off from years of watching Raven and Beast Boy quarrel.

"Ha ha, yea, same here. I signed the contract and _then_ they told me that I actually had to run the show. Weird, huh?"

"Oh, absolutely…"

"Well, anyways, Robin—or Nightwing, I hear it is—we polled our web-visitors on some key questions that they want answered by a superhero (they didn't know what superhero would answer them), and I've got some of them here in my hand. This first one really works well for you, I think: Does your mask ever itch doing a fight?"

Now we were at the part of the show that is 'unscripted,' which is a fancy way of saying the writers have their questions and I get to hear them for the first time.

"Oh, absolutely."

"So what do you do? Like can you commandeer a bathroom and wash your face, or is there like something that helps with the itching?"

"Well, personally I always lace my masks with Baby Lotion, so much that it feels like my eyes are being guarded by a baby's bottom…"

The crowd chuckled at that, and Dave wasn't ready to let it go.

"B-Baby _Lotion?_"

"Yea, I used to go through bottles of the stuff before I figured out how to lotion the masks themselves…"

"And what did your teammates say about that, did they like know the mask secret?"

"No, not for a year until they put them on…"

Dave looked incredulous, like something out of that had struck him as more odd than the rest. I was probably about to hear it, too.

"So, what did they think? 'Oh, there goes Robin to the pharmacy to get more _lotion! _ He goes through that stuff furiously!"

Everyone laughed, including myself, and I had the decency to blush slightly. When neither Dave nor I had any other comments, he switched to the next question.

"Well, _anyways_, this next question is put kinda bluntly—I think Ricky backstage wrote this one, because it's been written in crayon over the original question—but how often do you guys (the USMF, I guess) kill other superheroes?"

Yup, it was going to be one of _those_ nights.

"Gah, I knew I'd get to talk about this. But the Arsenal Assassination…I don't know, that's not really what I signed up for—I know a lot of heroes who would agree to that. You know, power has always corrupted, and I was opposed to how the Suicide Squad ran back when I found out about it."

Dave seized the lull in my talking to further toughen my job, or so I assumed.

"What about it, exactly? How would _you_ run a government supervillain-assassination team?"

I ran a hand through my hair while I pondered that question. The room was silent.

"Well, I've always believed that silent ops should be _silent_. If it's a secret team, no public targets. But really no one knew about the Squad until the data leak, and even then it wasn't discussed. But I was against its leadership. The moment that Slade Wilson was allowed to help _run_ the Suicide Squad, I knew something was wrong."

"You say Slade Wilson, as in the supervillain that rivaled the Titans for years in Jump City. Is this the same man that leaked the footage of the War-room that killed Speedy?"

I nodded solemnly.

"That's him. He helped out the Justice League back during the Invasions (which I was opposed to) and in turn the Justice League hired him full-time to help the Suicide Squad."

I hoped that Dave would pick up on that. His eyes widened slightly, and I assumed it worked.

"Wait, so a _supervillain_ helped the JL for free, and in turn they put that _supervillain_ in charge of the _SUICIDE SQUAD!?_"

I nodded again.

"If you ask me, I honestly put Speedy's—Roy's—death on the Justice League. And we figured that out and disbanded them, right? The USMF is here to do better than the League; we just didn't take down everything, apparently."

I knew that line was a good one the moment I thought of it. The look on Dave's face told me that I had struck political gold with that line, and that even if I botched every other question then tonight would still be a success.

We bounced around through a few more topics—Resistances being the overarching topic—before the show took a brief commercial break. During the break, the make-up teams came out and made sure we were comfortable, and other staff came and slightly rearranged our chairs to accommodate two more people.

"You know, Nightwing, when they told me that we were going to get to host an official USMF representative, I did not envision it would be that fun. And here I thought that all you 'Bat-People' were known for having sticks up your butts…" Dave joked.

"Well, that's kinda because he does! Why don't you show us those scripted lines, Robin?" Cyborg cut in for me, coming from behind stage to take the third seat.

"Hardee-har-har, Cy. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your strenuous walk to the chairs?"

"Nah, I told the boys that he can just show up in the chair when we come back. Otherwise we risk having too many introductions…" Dave asserted. I didn't know who the fourth person would be, but something tells me it is someone from an opposing viewpoint in order to make 'good TV.' As if there is such a thing.

Then again, _I_ am on air, so…

"We're live in 5!

4

3

2

1…"

"And we're back live, and if you are just joining us, I'm about to sit here and reunited Nightwing—ex-Robin, as me and my wife both call him for some reason—and the internet's favorite son, Cyborg!"

The audience applauded, and we waited for things to die down.

"Okay, so earlier today we showed a…photoshopped…picture of Robin. It's my understanding that you, Cyborg, and responsible for that?"

I gave Cy a disdainful look that made Dave and Cy both laugh.

"Yup! That was my work!"

"So, did these things happen often back in the days of the Titans? I mean, when the city started approving teenagers to live together, what did they expect?"

"Oh yes, Cyborg and Beast Boy were known for their insistent prank war. BB was once died pink for about a week, way back in the beginning." I answered for Vic.

"Gotcha. So how often did _other_ Titans receive one of these pranks?"

"Well, we—I, at least—_very quickly_ learned not to piss off Raven or Starfire. I don't know if BB ever stopped trying to prank Raven…that may be why he's still missing!"

I was afraid Cy would go there, but at least he's trying to broach that through humor. The public is still unaware of anything about Raven or Beast Boy.

"And I was on the receiving end on only a few pranks…that picture is by far the most…intricate one…" I quickly jumped in, in order to keep Dave from fixing in on Raven.

"So Cyborg, is this the sort of thing you take pride in? Successfully pulling one over on Batman-lite?" Dave asked, obviously softballing Cyborg.

"Oh, you bet your audience I do! That photoshop is still one of my favorite accomplishments! Robin turned pink for a full two days when he first saw it!"

Dave laughed, the crowd laughed, and I played the part of the slightly embarrassed fool. _This better make good TV._

"Well, I'd rather not bet my audience. There's still one thing that's just…bothering me about that. I just wonder…" now Dave seemed to _really_ be getting at something, and I braced myself for whatever might happen next, "…how much gay porn did you look through until you got that picture?"

And like that, the bottom fell out of the entire studio audience. Even in the 20 seconds it took to get everyone to stop laughing and hollering, Cyborg couldn't come up with a comeback. So I took the chance.

"You know, that explains how you went through 17GB of data in that one week…" I lied with a grin, and Dave was the one to laugh hard this time. Cyborg just looked as red as his cybernetic eye.

The laughing died down, and everyone looked insistently to Cyborg, who was still shell-shocked that everything had turned on him so completely. He almost looked _guilty_.

No, scratch that. He looked _absolutely_ guilty.

"You know, the fact that he hasn't replied actually makes me think that he's ashamed to answer that!" I announced, and the crowd laughed again when Cyborg slowly brought a hand up to rub his face.

"Cyborg, now, please, we're not judging here. How much gay porn did you go through, in rough estimates?"

Finally, Cyborg had recovered enough to speak. His manner suggested that he had utterly embraced himself for the worst humiliation of his life.

"Well…once I got the idea, I wrote a program to search the internet and bring me the best candidates for the picture. And naturally, I thought 'if I use _my_ processor to run the search, I can have it done in the hour.' Well, once I started, I couldn't stop it, and I forgot to allow a setting that made the program run passively…"

Most of the audience didn't know what that implied, but _I_ did. I immediately gasped, before laughing at his face.

"Well, okay, Nightwing is judging you…" Dave quipped.

"Does that mean that you…?" I choked out.

"I saw, in glimpses, _all_ the gay porn on the internet at the time, over the course of an hour. It took me _two weeks_ to completely burn the images out of my memory, and my human half is _still_ scarred!"

We weren't able to regain control of the crowd after that, and we went to commercial break. Cy decided that he had had enough TV life for one day, and Dave's staff helped him walk out by chanting "**Boo**-_yah_" in an extremely homoerotic and suggestive tone.

Suddenly, this TV stuff wasn't so bad.

"Welcome back to the David Letterman show. For those of you just joining, we probably just humiliated the superhero Cyborg more than anyone else has ever been humiliated on this show…possibly on _all_ talk shows! Now, to balance out the fun, we're going to be hosting a 'Frienemey Debate!'" The announcer announced.

"Thank you. Now, our last guest is here to debate Mr. Nightwing. He is a billionaire playboy who has recently retired from the Tech life in Starling City. He was accused of being Starling City's own superhero—The Arrow or The Green Arrow—twice, and released when the Arrow turned up elsewhere both times. Since then, he has made it his business to study superheroes and is considered an expert in the field (to the surprise of his family). He is an outspoken opponent of the USMF and is considered the Public Agent of more than one superhero, namely The Batman. Yes, join me in welcoming Mr. Oliver Queen!"

Oliver walked on stage and looked more comfortable in the spotlight than any other superhero that I've ever seen. Not even Bruce—a fellow playboy billionaire—is _comfy_ in the spotlight.

Oliver shook everyone's hands, and after a brief round of banter he and I were set up to talk back and forth at a notch just below a true debate.

"Now Oliver, I'm aware that you are extremely upset about the death of Roy Harper aka Arsenal?"

And like that, the game was on. _This_ is why they wanted me here.

"Absolutely. When did the people give the government the right to assassinate a U.S. citizen who was not breaking any laws, and had no Metahuman capabilities making the USMF null in his case? I don't ever remember voting on _that_ issue…"

The trick is not to disagree with him until we hit a point where I absolutely cannot allow myself to _agree_ with him.

"I didn't vote on that either. Could we get _Amanda Waller_ out here and talk to her?" The crowd was silent, and for a rare moment on TV, there was silence. "I didn't think so. She's in custody, likely facing solitary confinement at the hands of the CIA. All that's left is to better manage what remains to be managed."

"No, that's not it. Roy Harper was a friend of mine—I even let him date my sister. And the Suicide Squad that shot him was functioning under government orders in tandem with the United States Metahuman Forces. It was in the leaked schematics that the four Directors would be in contact with black ops."

Still not quite the place to disagree, but close. Dave was just watching everything unfurl to the side; what did he care how this went, he was retiring soon anyways.

"Yes, and it's evident that too much of the Justice League's old structure still remains. The Justice League put Slade Wilson on the Suicide Squad's management, and when that happened it was a sign that the League could no longer be trusted. It's just tragic that it took us this long to realize that."

"Did you see the same video I did, where _Slade the supervillain_ was the only person with any reservations about killing a Superhero? Seriously, you think that Slade is the problem when Amanda Waller, a government sanctioned agent, is the one calling the kill? The same government that abused the power of the Suicide Squad now reigns over the world's superheroes. Does that instill confidence in you? Can you sleep at night knowing what that arrangement is capable of?"

And then I froze. Everyone watching froze. While the debate had been calm, those last lines stumped everyone. No one spoke for 15 seconds, and I was obviously outmatched by Mr. Queen's prepared arguments.

Silence reached the 30 second mark, to the point where it was so awkward that it hurt. And that was the point.

Until gunfire eroded and Oliver Queen slumped over, with a bullet squarely through the chest being televised live.


End file.
